


my life, my love, my drive, it came from (pain)

by Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends



Series: found family and fightin' the man [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: (PLEASE check the notes at the beginning of each chapter for specific warnings!), (all the sides + remy are just kinda murder-y), (janus remus roman remy and virgil all lean more sympathetic), (logan and patton lean more villainous at first but eventually lean more sympathetic), (the two previous tags are for moceit and analogical), Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aromantic Asexual Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Character Death In Dream, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Death Threats, Demiboy Deceit | Janus Sanders, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Genderfluid Sleep | Remy Sanders, Hispanic Dr. Emile Picani, Hispanic Sleep | Remy Sanders, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kid Dr. Emile Picani, Kissing, Morally Ambiguous Characters, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Torture, Violence, kinda slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 53,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25573738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends/pseuds/Story_Teller_Of_Untold_Legends
Summary: For as long as he could remember, Virgil was plagued by nightmares. But they weren’t his own- they were always the worst fears of whoever got near him. Most saw him as a weapon. But to the ones who mattered? He was a son. A nephew. A cousin. A friend. And maybe, just maybe… a lover.But all of that could get torn apart before Virgil even has the chance to really appreciate it. Because his small, barely stitched together family was being threatened by an organization whose only goal was to use them for their abilities. Can he and his family take down this organization? Or will they forever be hunted?
Relationships: (again essentially logan & ocs), (essentially oc/oc though), Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Dr. Emile Picani, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dr. Emile Picani & Sleep | Remy Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Misleading Compliment | Missy Sanders & Pranks Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders & Morality | Patton Sanders, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Misleading Compliment | Missy Sanders/Pranks Sanders
Series: found family and fightin' the man [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758361
Comments: 154
Kudos: 107
Collections: Storytime! 2020





	1. A Star Chasing Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for the ts-storytime big bang! Huge thanks to my beta @bangthekobrakid on tumblr, and also to @vintage-squid for inspiring this whole au with the ask they had given me ages ago <3
> 
> Art by @magical-octopus: https://magicaloctopus333.tumblr.com/post/626728783549988864/here-is-my-art-based-on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -mentions of inhumane treatment  
> -violence/fighting  
> -teasing/banter  
> -nightmares  
> -mild gore  
> -fire  
> -death mention (character dies in dream)  
> -injury  
> -description of character in shock  
> -unconsciousness  
> -crying  
> -hugging  
> -kissing

Virgil darted down an alleyway, nearly slipping on the slick pavement due to the rain that was pouring down. Had Virgil been writing a novel about his life, he would have used the expression “a dark and stormy night” to describe his current situation. Although he wasn’t sure if anyone would really want to read a novel about the horrors of what he had been through. For around the first eight years of his life, Virgil had lived in a large glass cylinder. An organization known as the Academy, which worked under the guise of training supers to use their powers (but in reality used supers for their own twisted benefit), had deemed him as too dangerous to train. So they kept him contained, and Virgil probably would still be there if he hadn’t been rescued by Janus and Remus when he was a child. The three of them had been like family since then- Remus always insisted on Virgil calling him “Uncle Remus,” and while Janus preferred Virgil to call him by his first name, the other super had always felt like a parent to him.

A sudden bolt of blue energy shot over Virgil’s head, snapping him back to the present. An Academy agent was hot on his tail- how he had managed to keep up with Virgil, he had no idea. But when Virgil risked a glance over his shoulder, the agent was close behind him all the same, raindrops clinging to his glasses and the stray hairs from his bun sticking to his face. The agent’s eyes were blazing with blue energy, and he fired another blast from his hands at Virgil. He ducked, and the bolt of blue energy just barely missed him.

“Whoa there, Starboy- you almost hit me! And we were getting along so well!” Virgil snarked before running off. Virgil heard the agent sputter indignantly at the nickname before he continued chasing after him.

“Shadowling, by the authority of the Academy, I am ordering you to halt!” the agent demanded. Virgil grit his teeth- both at the sound of the agent charging another blast, and at the codename. When Virgil had first been rescued by Janus and Remus, Janus insisted on the three of them having codenames so that the Academy would have a harder time finding them. Janus went by Warper, Remus went by Sparkplug, and as for Virgil, they called him Shadowling. Which was fine for when he was a kid, but he was (legally speaking) an adult now! Virgil wanted nothing more than to ditch the codename… but he hadn’t managed to come up with something else, and even if he was able to, it wasn’t like he could just waltz up to the Academy Council and request for a codename change in their database. So, Shadowling it was.

“You get all hung up on me calling you Starboy, but then you call me ‘Shadowling?’” Virgil scoffed, looking over his shoulder to smirk at the agent.

“I did not get ‘hung up!’ Besides, this is different- you are a rogue, and more importantly, you are under arrest,” the agent shouted back, this time sending a blast at Virgil’s feet. The bolt of energy sent Virgil sprawling into the wet pavement, and he began to push himself up with a groan. He was stopped by a hand on his neck, and he heard the hum of another energy blast being charged.

“There’s only one problem with what you said, Starboy,” Virgil said dryly. The agent let out a short huff of laughter.

“And what would that be?” he scoffed.

“In order for me to be under arrest, you have to catch me,” Virgil replied, and before the agent had a chance to say anything else, Virgil reached back and grabbed the agent’s wrist. He tugged hard, and with a grunt of effort, flipped the agent over his head. The agent landed on the ground with a painful thump, and he laid on the ground, dazed. Virgil knelt over him, and dimly noted that the agent’s eyes were naturally blue when they weren’t charged with energy. The agent made a vague sound of alarm and tried to scramble away from him, but Virgil put his fingertips to the agent’s temple before he could. The agent let out a choked gasp and shook violently, and Virgil took a sharp intake of breath as a series of images flooded his vision- the agent’s worst fears. Virgil saw a person with curly, short blonde hair who had mutilated wings on her back, her expression full of utter betrayal. Then there was an individual surrounded by a blazing inferno, a mix of panic and anger in their eyes as they lunged forward. The last image Virgil saw was that of an older man with glasses similar to the agent’s, and gray eyes staring up unblinking while the man’s body was crushed beneath a building.

Virgil yanked his hand back with a trembling gasp, falling backwards from his kneeling position. The agent was trembling, and Virgil suspected that the rain wasn’t the only thing causing his face to be wet. He felt a pang of guilt, as he always did whenever he used his powers- but it was either causing someone to see their worst nightmare, or Virgil getting captured. So with a heavy sigh, and one last glance at the agent, Virgil took off into the night.

* * *

Logan was still trembling on the ground when his fellow agents, Missy and Pascal, found him. The rain had stopped, but Logan couldn’t find it within himself to even try and get up. The things he saw- the things Shadowling _forced_ him to see- would haunt him forever. How would he ever look Missy in the eyes again after seeing her wings torn? Or Pascal without fearing that they would lose control over their pyrokinesis? And Patton, his task force leader and the closest thing he had to a father, dead because of the Academy… 

“Logan? Logan! C’mon bud, can you hear me?” a voice asked, snapping Logan from his thoughts as he blinked blearily. His vision finally focused enough to register Missy, his best friend, looming over him. Her hazel eyes were wide with panic, and her short blonde hair was a little disheveled- she must have just been flying. Logan tried to open his mouth, but all that came out was a short, high pitched exhalation that he absolutely _refused_ to call a whimper.

“I think he’s in shock- being out in the rain probably didn’t help that either,” another voice said, and Logan managed to shift his gaze over to see Pascal, his other best friend, knelt on his other side. Their jaw was set with barely contained anger, which only served to remind Logan of the horrible vision he had seen, and he shivered involuntarily.

“Shit. We don’t exactly have a shock blanket or anything… wait, I think I have an idea- help me get him into my lap,” Missy ordered, and Logan felt himself being lifted slightly.

“What- why?! What good is _that_ gonna do?!” Pascal demanded, and Logan could detect a hint of jealousy in their tone. If he had the energy to roll his eyes, he would have. It was no secret that Pascal had a crush on Missy, and they were continuously jealous of the bond that Logan and Missy had. Logan and Missy had more or less grown up together, and Pascal only became part of their friend group when they had been assigned to the same task force that Logan and Missy were on. However, Logan had no desire to date Missy- she was too much like a sister to him, and besides, she wasn’t exactly Logan’s type.

“I’m gonna use my wings in place of a shock blanket, you dork! Now help me lift him, this nerd’s heavier than he looks,” Missy huffed. Logan didn’t hear Pascal’s response (if they even made one), but they must have agreed because he suddenly found himself in Missy’s lap, head leaning on her shoulder and his nose buried in the crook of her neck. He felt one of her wings wrap around him, almost like a hug, and he couldn’t help but melt into her embrace slightly with a sigh.

“I’m gonna call an evac, you aren’t going to be able to carry both of us,” Pascal said, and Logan wanted to protest at the fuss, but couldn’t muster up the strength to speak.

“Easy Logan, we’re gonna get you back to HQ- you’re safe,” Missy murmured, as if she could read Logan’s thoughts.

“I always knew you were a bit of a mother hen,” Logan managed to get out, his voice rough. Missy let out an offended squawk, and Logan could hear poorly muffled laughter coming from Pascal.

“You must not be too badly injured if you’re able to snark back at me like that, you jerk. Now for once in your life, stop talking and _rest_ ,” Missy huffed. Logan gave a weak smile, then fully slumped against Missy as he let unconsciousness claim him.

* * *

Logan woke up feeling warm and safe, and with the sensation of someone running their fingers through his hair. He opened his eyes with an involuntary contented sigh, and he heard giggles from his other side, although he couldn’t quite make out who the blurry shapes were.

“Oh my god he’s like a _cat_ ,” one voice said between laughs, unmistakably Pascal.

“Don’t be mean!” another voice chided, and he couldn’t quite tell if it was Patton or Missy that was speaking. Someone handed Logan his glasses, and he slipped them onto his face. Missy and Pascal were seated beside the cot he was lying on, and he glanced over to see Patton on his other side, his fingers still in Logan’s hair.

“Hey there kiddo, how’re you feeling?” Patton asked softly, retracting his hand from Logan’s hair. Logan shrugged, sitting up.

“A little rattled, but otherwise alright,” he replied.

“Good. So then I can properly berate you for going after Shadowling _by yourself_ without feeling too guilty about it,” Patton said firmly, fixing Logan with a disapproving stare. Logan winced.

“I thought I could catch him,” Logan replied sourly.

“Yeah, and look where that got you! There’s a reason we’re a team, Logan,” Missy reprimanded. Logan let out a sigh, glancing between his teammates and leader.

“It made the most logical sense for me to go after him. The rain would have soaked your wings, Pascal wouldn’t be able to keep a flame going, and with all due respect, Patton’s abilities are not suited for a chase,” Logan explained, refusing to meet his teammates’ gazes. Patton’s expression twisted into a frown, and Missy and Pascal’s expressions mirrored his.

“Then you should have called for a different task force to handle it,” Patton replied with an exasperated huff.

“Shadowling would have gotten away by the time another task force would have been sent after him!” Logan protested.

“Logan, Shadowling got away _anyway_ and you ended up getting hurt!” Patton reprimanded, setting a firm hand on Logan’s knee. Logan crossed his arms, mouth settling into a firm line.

“I am _not_ hurt! Well… not physically, at least,” he muttered. Missy, Pascal, and Patton exchanged concerned glances over Logan’s head.

“To be fair, kiddo, you do have some mild bruising on your back, as well as a mild concussion, but… what else happened to you?” Patton asked softly. Logan swallowed nervously, fingers twisting in the sheets of the cot. He didn’t exactly want to talk about what he had seen, especially due to his present company.

“Shadowling… he- he made me see- he used his ability on me,” Logan managed to get out, voice trembling.

“Oh- kiddo, c’mere,” Patton murmured, strong arms pulling Logan against his chest. Logan felt tears springing to his eyes, and he buried his face in Patton’s chest, refusing to meet his gaze… he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to see Patton’s soft gray eyes again without picturing them cold and dead.

“I didn’t think there was anything that could rattle the brave and stoic Agent Thorne,” Pascal teased, bringing a hand up to rub soothing circles into Logan’s shoulder.

“Shadowling seemed to prefer to call me ‘Starboy’ as opposed to ‘Agent Thorne,’” Logan said, laughing wetly as he rubbed at his eyes. That earned a chorus of laughter, although it sounded a little forced.

“Y’know? I think ‘Starboy’ has a pretty good ring to it,” Missy joked. Logan chuckled slightly.

“This is going to become a regular teasing from you, isn’t it?” Logan muttered, poking his head up from Patton’s chest to glare at her playfully.

“Maybe?” Missy replied with a grin. Logan sighed.

“I suppose I shall allow it…” Logan huffed. Missy let out a short laugh.

“I guess Shadowling might get offended if I start using his nickname for you… plus you do have a name that’s served you pretty well for eighteen years,” Missy teased, though her eyes were a bit watery as she reached over and ruffled Logan’s hair.

“Okay, I think that’s enough sappiness for me, we should let Logan rest anyhow,” Pascal announced, trying to subtly wipe at their eyes as they stood up abruptly.

“I don’t need rest,” Logan said stubbornly, even as he yawned.

“Kiddo, I think you just outvoted yourself there. There will be plenty for you to do when you’re recovered,” Patton murmured, letting go of Logan and tucking him back into the cot. Logan flushed slightly- Patton hadn’t tucked Logan in since he was a child.

“Get some rest while you can, there’ll be paperwork and missions awaiting you when you’re all healed up,” Missy said, giving one last ruffle to Logan’s hair before leaving with Pascal. Logan looked to Patton, and felt his throat tighten up.

“Thank you,” Logan said softly, trying his hardest not to cry even as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Patton smiled softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Logan’s hair.

“You’re welcome, kiddo. Now rest,” Patton murmured. And although part of him wanted to protest, a larger part of him still felt rather battered (both physically and emotionally) and he let himself drift off to sleep.


	2. A Family, Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -mention of separated families  
> -homelessness  
> -swearing  
> -death mention  
> -talk of a corrupt organization  
> -teasing/banter  
> -near stabbing  
> -nightmares  
> -crying  
> -hugging

Janus was pacing back and forth nervously in their meagre base of operations when Virgil returned from the fight in the alley. Their gaze snapped to him when he stepped through the doorway of what once was an office, and he teleported to him in a flurry of golden sparks.

“What took you so long?! We thought something had happened to you, you’re supposed to check in if you get held up!” Janus fumed, but despite his tone, his mismatched eyes were full of concern.

“I’m alright, I just got held up by an Academy agent. But I got the information we were looking for,” Virgil replied, reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out the flash drive. Remus, who Virgil had not at first noticed was in the room, was suddenly at Virgil’s side. He plucked the flash drive from Virgil’s hand, then bolted over to an old computer. He grabbed the power cord and clasped it in one hand, and a green blast of electricity traveled through his hand and into the computer, powering it up.

“Impatient, much?” Janus huffed, grabbing Virgil’s arm and teleporting the both of them to Remus’s side. Virgil resisted the urge to smirk- Janus was just as impatient about this information too. Before Virgil had even been born, Janus and Remus had been taken into the Academy. Janus had been at the Academy since birth, but Remus had been torn from his family… along with his twin brother. The Academy had assumed that the young pair of twins were both electrokinetics, since Remus had clearly displayed the ability. However, Remus’s twin was just a normal boy, and the Academy cast him out on the streets like he was nothing. Remus was determined to find him ever since, as were Janus and Virgil. After all, Remus was family to them, and his twin would be too- they just had to find him. And hopefully, the information Virgil stole from the Academy’s database would give them a clue to what might have happened to Remus’s twin.

Remus grinned madly when the computer screen lit up, his usual green eyes blazing bright with electricity. He inserted the flash drive, and in a matter of moments a flurry of files flooded the screen. Janus grabbed the mouse and scrolled through, eyes flitting over the data to try and figure out what could be of use. 

“There! That log about a children’s home of some kind,” Virgil blurted, pointing at the file in question. Janus clicked on it, and it brought up a mission log dated nearly eighteen years ago.

“We were still in the Academy when this happened,” Janus murmured with a note of horror in his tone.

“Holy shit- look who wrote the mission log!” Remus gasped, pointing to the name at the top of the screen. Agent Patton Carter, whose abilities were noted as being superstrength.

“What? Who’s this Patton guy?” Virgil asked, brow furrowing in confusion.

“He- no one. Just another agent I knew, we were around the same age,” Janus said bluntly. Remus looked like he wanted to protest Janus’s statement, but they sent him a firm glare. Virgil knew better than to press the issue.

“So… what’s the file say?” Virgil asked, not-so-smoothly changing the subject. Thankfully, it seemed to work (although Remus seemed a little disgruntled about it).

“Right. It seems Pat- Agent Carter, was on this mission to supposedly rescue a bunch of kids from a corrupt children’s home. But if I know the Academy, there likely wasn’t anything ‘corrupt’ about it,” Janus said in a near growl.

“Do you think my brother could have been there?” Remus asked, more timidly than Virgil had ever heard his uncle.

“Not sure- let’s see if there’s a list of the children at this home in the mission log,” Janus replied, scrolling through for a few moments. Soon, with a sound of triumph, he found the list.

“Was he there?” Remus asked, a few sparks of electricity shooting from him in trepidation.

“Hold on, I think- yes! There’s a Roman Sanders listed… shit,” Janus said, hanging his head and huffing out a sigh of irritation.

“What, what?! Jan-”

“He’s listed under the ‘missing’ children. All the others are either labeled as ‘dead’ or ‘relocated,’” Janus replied, cutting off Remus’s panicked cry.

“So we’re back to where we started?!” Remus cried, dropping the cord and causing the computer screen to go black. Janus reached out a hand to comfort him, but quickly retracted it when he saw the electricity buzzing over Remus’s form.

“Maybe not- what if we went to the mission site? The Academy isn’t exactly keen on cleaning up after themselves- plus what if we look at the list of children missing and relocated? We could try and track them down to see if they know of his whereabouts?” Virgil offered, trying to ease Remus’s frustrated and supercharged state. Janus frowned in thought at Virgil’s idea.

“Virgil, the mission log is nearly as old as you, I’m not sure if we’d be able to find anything…” Janus trailed off uncertainly.

“Well, it’s better than nothing! Plus there could be something else in those files that we missed,” Virgil protested. Janus sighed, shaking their head. He reached up to ruffle Virgil’s hair good-naturedly, and Virgil rolled his eyes at the shorter man.

“Where did that unyielding optimism come from? Surely I didn’t teach you that,” Janus teased. Virgil let out a chuckle, reaching down to ruffle Janus’s long bangs.

“Dunno. Guess someone in this tragic family has to be the optimist,” Virgil shot back, resisting the urge to laugh at Janus’s disgruntled look.

“I am nearly twice your age, why are  _ you _ the one playing with  _ my _ hair?!” Janus hissed.

“Because while you’re twice my age, you’re only half my height,” Virgil replied with a smirk. Janus sputtered indignantly, shoving Virgil’s hand off of his head.

“Oh come on, Virge! I’d say Jan’s at least a solid quarter your height,” Remus chimed in with a grin.

“That’s not helping,” Janus replied between gritted teeth.

“Wasn’t trying to,” Remus crowed. Janus let out another sound of frustration, picking up the cord and shoving it back into Remus’s hand.

“Just turn on the stupid computer so we can find your brother,” Janus muttered. Remus grinned and sent a charge of electricity through the cord, and the computer screen lit up once more.

* * *

After a bit of bickering, they decided to go to the site of the mission- the supposedly “corrupt” children’s home. But when they arrived there, there was nothing. It was nothing more than a scrapyard- or more accurately, a wasteland. The area that Virgil, Janus, and Remus were standing in clearly used to be a neighborhood of some kind, but now it was nothing more than a desolate scrapyard on the outskirts of the city.

“I- I wasn’t really sure what I expected t-to find, but-” Remus’s voice cut off, sounding completely defeated. Janus kicked a piece of rubble, cursing under their breath. After stewing in anger for a moment, they looked to Remus softly and reached out to gently squeeze his arm.

The sound of glass breaking snapped Virgil away from the scene of Janus and Remus’s defeat. He whirled around, eyes darting about to try and locate where the sound had come from- and more importantly, what or  _ who _ caused it. There was a blur of motion out of the corner of Virgil’s eye, and he quickly made his way over to where he had seen it. He was a little further away from Janus and Remus now, but he was sure it would be fine. There probably was just a raccoon or something.

However, the  _ whoosh _ of something cutting through the air alerted Virgil that whatever he had seen was not a raccoon, and he sidestepped just in time for a sword to swipe through the air, just where he had been standing. The sword was being wielded by a figure wearing a cream-colored hooded cloak of some kind and a red cowl scarf around his neck.

“What the- c’mon, you’re just gonna try and stab me with no warning?” Virgil scoffed. The figure let out a dark chuckle, and green eyes glinted at him from beneath the hood.

“Listen punk, I stab as a warning,” the figure replied smoothly, sounding almost regal despite their rather cutting words. Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Okay then, Mx. Gladiator-”

“I’m a  _ knight _ , thank you- the Rogue Knight, specifically,” they said incredulously. Virgil gave the figure a blank stare. He had heard of the Rogue Knight- he was a mysterious sword-wielding warrior that seemed to fight against the Academy, although that didn’t mean Virgil was ready to instantly trust him. In addition to his reputation, Virgil had also heard that the Knight had quite an ego. It would be easier to unbalance him if he thought that Virgil had no idea who he was.

“Listen Princey-”

“I like that you’re elevating my status there, but I believe I said I was  _ the _ Rogue Knight,” he said, emphasizing his (probably) self-given title again.

“Well, you’re definitely pompous enough to be a prince,” Virgil said with a shrug. The Rogue Knight sputtered indignantly, and lunged at Virgil again. Virgil bit back the urge to smirk- the Rogue Knight was utterly predictable. He sidestepped him again, and the Knight was sent sprawling to the ground. Virgil quickly pinned him to the ground, flipping his hood back and putting a hand to his temple without fully registering the Knight’s face.

He saw a child with dark curly hair and shattered glasses lying limp in another person’s arms- the child’s parent, maybe? They looked similar enough- the individual had the same dark hair pulled back in a braid. The two of them looked beat-up and battered, but the child was the only one that seemed to be breathing. The child was suddenly torn out of the parent’s arms by an Academy agent, and the parent was left to die.

Virgil lurched away from the nightmare and the man beneath him like he had been burned. And it was then that he realized who he had pinned down- a man who looked  _ exactly _ like Remus, just minus the mustache and the white streak in his auburn hair. He was shaking with wide, unseeing eyes as tears streamed down his face. Virgil’s stomach twisted with guilt, more than it usually did when he attacked someone with his powers. Because this time, he had attacked the very man they were looking for.

“ **I- I’m sorry, I didn’t- I-** ” Virgil choked out, his voice distorted and tears welling up in his pitch-black eyes. A pair of arms were helping Virgil up, but he was too numb to register who it was.

“It’s alright, Shadowling, are you hurt?” a voice murmured, and he looked over to see Janus standing beside him.

“ **I’m fine** , but-” Virgil’s voice cut off when he saw Remus on his other side, staring at the man sprawled on the ground with wide eyes. A stunned silence settled over the three of them, the only sound being the man’s-  _ Roman’s _ ?- sobbing.

“Dad?! It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ll heal you!” a voice cried out, and Virgil whirled around to see the child that had just been in the nightmare vision Virgil had just seen. Same curly dark hair, olive-toned skin, and green eyes- and glasses that weren’t broken. Virgil also noticed that the child was wearing a patchwork scarf of sorts- similar to Roman’s, except for that it was multicolored with blue and pink being heavily present.

The child scrambled over to Roman, taking his face into his hands and leaning their foreheads together. Roman only cried harder, and the child made a sound of distress, squeezing their father’s cheeks a bit. Roman blinked at that, and once he registered the child crouching in front of him, he pulled them into his lap and hugged them tight.

“Emi?! Oh my little prince, is that you? I thought- but I saw you-” Roman broke down into sobs again, clutching the child close to his chest.

“Dad, I’m a Doctor, not a Prince! But I can’t make the hurt go away, why are you still hurting?” the child (Emi?) replied, perplexed.

“Sorry there, Doc- this isn’t the kind of hurt you can heal- wait, where’s your Papi?” Roman demanded, sitting bolt upright. It was then that he locked gazes with Remus, and his mouth fell open in shock.

“I- how did-  _ Remus _ ?! Is that you?! But how- the Academy- is it weird that I wanna hug you?” Roman rambled, scrambling to his feet. Remus gave no reply other than launching himself at Roman, hugging him tightly.

“I found you,  _ I found you _ \- well, more like Virgil found you, buuuut details, details,” Remus blabbered, grinning from ear to ear.

“What the hell and fuck,” a voice piped up from somewhere off to the side. Virgil’s gaze snapped over to see the other individual that he had seen in Roman’s nightmare. Sunglasses were propped up in their hair, and they held a dagger in each hand as they glared down Virgil, Janus, and Remus.

“Remy! Darling, I thought we talked about using the f-word in front of Emile,” Roman hissed.

“The f-word is one of Papi’s favorites,” the child- Emile, whispered to Remus.

“Mine too,” Remus replied with a grin.

“I think my choice of words fits just fine here,” he said through gritted teeth, gesturing with a dagger first at Remus, then at Janus and Virgil. Roman flushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Right! Well, erm- this is my long-lost twin brother, Remus. I don’t know who the scary-looking punks are over there, though,” Roman replied sheepishly.

“Allow me to explain! The short one with the long bangs and hair shaved underneath is Janus, who uses he/they pronouns, and I’ve adopted them as our older brother. The taller one with the long bangs and scary eyes is Virgil, who uses he/him pronouns, and I’ve adopted him as our nephew,” Remus explained, gesturing to each of them in turn.

“I tried to stab my own nephew?!” Roman cried, looking guilty. Remy let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Mi querido, I thought we talked about impulsively stabbing people,” he muttered. Roman sputtered indignantly.

“It’s fine- besides, I think we’re even… I did force you to see your worst nightmare, after all,” Virgil replied, shoulders hunching slightly. Roman’s expression turned soft, and he shrugged.

“Alright, so we’re even. My turn for introductions! The lovely spitfire with the daggers over there is my spouse, Remy, who uses he/she/they pronouns, but is currently using he/him. And this little guy down here is my son, Emile, who uses he/him pronouns,” Roman said, crouching down to playfully ruffle Emile’s hair. Emile giggled helplessly, and Virgil found himself smiling at the show of affection. He glanced over to Janus, who had a faraway, nostalgic look in their eyes.

“Well, this has been… interesting, meeting you all- but we’ve been above ground for too long,” Remy said, sheathing his daggers at his sides.

“Yeah… you three better come home with us, I think we’ve got some logistical things to talk out,” Roman said, taking Emile’s hand, and then reached his other one out to Remus. He hesitated for a moment or two, but soon took Roman’s hand. Janus and Virgil exchanged nervous glances. Virgil had the feeling that everything was about to change… but maybe it would change for the better.


	3. Bonds Old and New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -homelessness  
> -kissing  
> -crying  
> -implied past minor character death  
> -implied/referenced nsfw  
> -teasing/banter  
> -mentions of nightmares  
> -implied inhumane treatment  
> -violence mention  
> -swearing

Virgil, Janus, and Remus followed after the family of three down into what used to be a subway station. There was a single subway car on the track, and Roman let go of Remus and Emile’s hands so that he could rush forward and open the subway car doors with a dramatic flourish. He bowed, giving a grand sweeping gesture to invite them in. Remy, who seemed to be used to his husband’s dramatic displays, rolled his eyes fondly and took Emile’s hand.

“Welcome to our humble home,” Roman declared proudly, and Virgil couldn’t help but crack a small smile as he, Janus, and Remus followed the family of three inside. The interior of the subway car was cozier than Virgil expected. The back half of the car was sectioned off with a curtain, and Virgil could see a cozy set up of blankets and pillows piled up on mattresses as a sleeping area when he craned his head around to peek inside. The other half was mostly taken up by a folding table with some folding chairs around it, as well as various storage containers stacked at the very back of the car. All in all, it was much homier than the abandoned office building that Virgil, Janus, and Remus had made their home in.

“So, how long have you had this little sweet spot?” Remus asked, looking over the subway car appreciatively.

“Remy and I found this subway car about… oh I dunno, we were teenagers on the run. I think it must have been about eighteen years ago?” Roman said, looking to Remy for confirmation. Remy nodded in agreement.

“That’s how old the mission log was,” Virgil blurted, causing Roman and Remy to look to him with confusion.

“Mission log?” Roman asked.

“I stole some files from the Academy, and there was a mission log about a ‘corrupt’ children’s home- it’s how we found you,” Virgil explained. Remy’s expression flared with anger at the mention of the children’s home, and Roman reached out to put a comforting hand on Remy’s shoulder. Emile looked between his parents and rushed over to hug Remy. A small smile came to Remy’s face, and he ruffled Emile’s hair.

“I’m sorry mijo, you can’t heal this hurt,” Remy said sadly. Emile’s face scrunched up in frustration.

“But that’s not fair! I can heal, why can’t I make all the hurt go away?” Emile asked. Roman and Remy looked to their son fondly, but there was something melancholy beneath their expressions.

“I don’t know, Doc. The mind isn’t something easily healed, I suppose. Now this has been a lot of excitement for today… how about you get some rest while the adults talk, okay Emi?” Roman asked, crouching down to Emile’s level. Emile looked like he wanted to protest for a moment or two, but soon conceded with a small sigh.

“Okay, Dad. G’night Dad, Papi, and new family,” Emile said with a small wave. Roman dropped a quick kiss onto his curly dark head of hair, and Remy bent down to kiss Emile’s cheek. Seeming satisfied, Emile scrambled over to the curtained-off area of the subway car, taking off his boots before crawling inside and closing the curtain behind him.

“Now that  _ that’s _ settled- I, for one, am curious as to what actually happened to the children’s home,” Janus said. Remy’s expression twisted into a frown, and he fiddled with his sleeves.

“Remy-”

“It’s alright. We can explain our life story… but then it’s their turn,” Remy said, interrupting Roman and glaring at Janus slightly.

“Fine by me,” Janus replied smoothly. Roman, Remus, and Virgil shifted a little uncomfortably at the tension in the air, but fortunately Roman spoke up and broke the awkward silence.

“I think we’d better sit down- we don’t have enough chairs, but there are the subway benches,” Roman said, pulling out one of the chairs and taking a seat. Remy and Remus took two of the other seats at the table, leaving Virgil and Janus to take the subway benches at the chairless side of the table.

“So first things first- there was nothing corrupt about that children’s home. It was run by my mama, baba, and abuelita. They took in all the kids that the Academy rejected- supers they couldn’t use, or kids like Roman who were thought to have powers, but didn’t. I think I was around three years old when they took in Roman,” Remy explained.

“Remy and I quickly became friends- although I think we caused your abuelita a fair amount of her gray hairs,” Roman said, trying to lighten the mood, but his tone was far too sombre for it to really work.

“Roman and I were thick as thieves, and he and I- as well as the other kids and my family- were happy. That is, until about twelve years after Roman had arrived at the children’s home. For reasons I still don’t understand today, the Academy deemed what my parents and abuelita had built to be a threat. Roman and I got away-” Remy’s voice broke, and he reached up to rub at his eyes furiously. Roman placed a comforting hand on his arm, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil murmured. Remy let out a broken laugh.

“Not your fault,” Remy replied, swallowing down the sobs that were threatening to break free. Roman frowned, still continuing to comfortingly rub his arm.

“Do you want me to continue, darling?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” Remy got out in a hoarse whisper, nodding stiffly. Roman leaned over to press a kiss to Remy’s temple, then cleared his throat to continue the story.

“I don’t know what happened to the other kids, but we do know that Remy’s parents and abuelita didn’t make it. Remy and I were forced on the run when I was sixteen, and he was fifteen. We were scavengers- still are, actually- and then we found this subway car. We’ve continued fixing it up over the years, making it home. It wasn’t until about three years after the destruction of the children’s home that I realized I was in love with Remy,” Roman said softly. Remy flushed at the words, shoving at him playfully.

“Sap,” Remy accused, but there was no malice in his tone. Roman grinned and continued on with the story.

“We started a relationship not long after that, and then a couple years later when we were in our early twenties, we decided we might as well get married! We couldn’t do it legally- due to being scavengers and all- but we had our own little ceremony, and that’s good enough for us,” Roman said fondly, gazing at Remy and taking his hand.

“Dorks,” Remus teased with a grin.

“Maybe,” Roman replied with a grin of his own. Janus glanced between Remy, Roman, and Remus, then over to the curtained-off area of the subway car. He glanced back to Roman with a slight frown.

“So… how exactly did Emile come into the picture?” they asked.

“What, you asking them for the birds and the bees talk?” Remus asked dryly. Roman let out a startled, indignant sound, and Remy quickly shushed him, gesturing to where Emile was resting. Janus rolled their eyes.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he hissed. Remus shrugged, but fortunately did not decide to harass Janus about it further.

“Truthfully… Emile was not fully planned. But I wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world. He truly was a pleasant surprise… but he deserves so much better than to grow up here,” Roman said, voice tinged with guilt.

“And we definitely weren’t expecting him to have powers- Roman and I don’t have powers, and somehow Emile does. But like Roman said, we wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world,” Remy said fiercely, his eyes challenging them to disagree.

“Emile living his life as a scavenger with his family is better than the alternative,” Janus pointed out. Grim expressions settled over the five of them, and Virgil found his thoughts drifting back to Roman’s nightmare vision.

“Yes… I suppose that’s true,” Roman said softly. Remy nodded, leaning over to press a quick kiss to Roman’s temple.

“Well, now that we’ve poured out all of our drama on you… it’s your turn,” Remy said, looking to the three of them expectantly. A fond smirk slipped onto Janus’s face for the barest of moments until he quickly schooled his expression and cleared his throat.

“Right. I grew up in the Academy, and before escaping about fifteen years ago, the Academy was all I had ever known. I had been dropped off there as a baby, with the only clue to who I was being a note with the name ‘Janus’ written on it. So that was what they called me, and it wasn’t until Remus more or less forcibly claimed me as his older sibling and insisted that I use the name ‘Sanders’ as well,” they explained. A soft look came over Roman’s face, and he looked over to Remus with what seemed to be a swell of pride and adoration.

“Don’t get all sappy on me, I missed you, and Janus was the best replacement I could get for a missing twin,” Remus huffed. Roman grinned widely in spite of Remus’s words, and the electrokinetic rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, a few years after running away from the Academy, Remus and I-”

“Whoa, hold up there! You’re leaving out all the juicy stuff!” Remus interrupted. Janus glared at him, while Roman, Remy, and Virgil watched the two of them with varying confused expressions.

“Jan, what’s he talking about?” Virgil asked. Janus huffed out an irritated breath.

“Nothing, just some petty drama with some of the Academy agents,” they replied, tone seeming aloof, but Virgil knew him better.

“Agents like that Patton guy?” Virgil asked. Janus went deathly still, and Remus had a rather cat-that-got-the-cream expression on his face.

“No,” Janus replied- rather unconvincingly, in Virgil’s opinion.

“Sure Jan,” Virgil scoffed. Janus wrinkled his nose at Virgil’s words, and Remus looked like he was suppressing the urge to laugh. Roman and Remy still looked mildly confused, but there was a hint of amusement dancing in Remy’s eyes.

“Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was going to tell Roman and Remy how we came across you, you obnoxious little punk,” Janus teased, reaching over to ruffle Virgil’s hair. Virgil let out a short laugh, pushing Janus’s hand away.

“I’m not the little punk Jan, pretty sure that’s you. And this is my part of the story, shouldn’t I get to tell it?” Virgil protested. Janus let out a long-suffering sigh.

“If you insist,” they replied. Virgil nodded, and cleared his throat.

“Like Janus, I grew up in the Academy. Back then, my powers were pretty much uncontrollable. Anyone who got near me would immediately suffer from nightmare visions. The Academy soon gave up on trying to train me and locked me away in a glass cylinder that kept my powers contained. I was around eight years old when Janus and Remus rescued me,” Virgil explained.

“We weren’t even planning on rescuing anyone when we broke into the Academy’s facility, we thought we were stealing a weapon. But we found a kid instead,” Remus chimed in. Janus glared at Remus, while Roman, Remy, and Virgil’s eyes went wide.

“Wait, what? You never told me that before,” Virgil said, dumbfounded. Remus at least had the decency to wince, and Janus’s expression twisted with guilt as he refused to meet Virgil’s gaze.

“Are you telling me they kept a damn  _ kid _ locked up as a  _ weapon _ ?!” Remy fumed. Roman quickly hushed Remy, gesturing back to Emile, but his expression was just as enraged as his spouse’s was.

“I was a weapon to them?” Virgil asked, voice hollow. Janus frowned, finally meeting Virgil’s eyes and reaching out to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Part of Virgil wanted to lean into the touch. The other part wanted to scream at Janus for not telling him sooner… but there was yet another part of Virgil that was telling him that he should have known. Or rather, that part of Virgil had  _ always _ known. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it. The Academy was a self-serving organization, if Virgil was really too dangerous to train, they would have just killed him, not contained him.

“Virgil, there’s no telling why the Academy had labeled you as a weapon. It could have just been a cover-” Janus started, but Virgil interrupted him with a shake of his head.

“No. I don’t really know why I’m so surprised by this, the Academy’s done nothing but use supers for their own gain. I just… I dunno. Hearing it out loud is just… a lot,” Virgil said with a shaky sigh.

“I’m sorry,” Remus blurted. Virgil looked to his uncle with a weak smile.

“It’s okay. Deep down, I think I already knew… I just had to hear it at some point,” he replied with a shrug. Remus’s expression softened, although there was still a trace of guilt in his features.

“I still should’ve thought about what I said before I said it,” Remus said. Virgil immediately burst into laughter, startling everyone seated at the table.

“No offense, Uncle Remus, but  _ you _ thinking about something before you say it would take a miracle,” Virgil said between laughs. Remus’s face cracked into a smile, and Janus let out a light chuckle as well.

“Fair enough,” Remus said, amusement dancing in his eyes. Virgil opened his mouth to say something else, but all that came out was a massive yawn. A fond smile came over Remy’s face.

“I think you should get some rest, kid. You look like you’ve aged ten years in the last ten minutes,” Remy said, gesturing over to the curtained-off area of the subway car.

“But what about tomorrow? What happens now that we’ve finally found you?” Virgil asked, despite the fact that he was indeed tired. Escaping from the Academy agent earlier that night- well, technically yesterday at this point- had tired him out, as well as the excitement of finding (and accidentally attacking) Roman.

“Get some rest, Virgil. We’ll talk out logistics while you sleep,” Janus said, reaching over to gently ruffle Virgil’s hair. Virgil allowed it, and stood up with a sigh.

“You sure I’m not imposing, or anything?” Virgil asked, feeling a little insecure about staying in the home of someone he had just met.

“I tried to stab you when we first met. Letting you sleep here is the least we can do,” Roman said with a soft smile. Virgil smiled back, and with a little less than playful nudge from Janus, he got up from his seat. He started towards the curtain, and with one last glance at the two people who had been family for most of his life and at the two new people who, with any luck, who would become his family too- he headed inside to sleep.


	4. Negotiations of a New Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -violence mention  
> -homelessness  
> -swearing  
> -anxious thoughts

Janus wasn’t sure how he felt about the Picani-Sanders. Don’t get them wrong, they were happy that Remus had found his twin. But that didn’t mean that he was automatically ready to trust them. However, despite his wariness, Janus couldn’t help but admire them. Roman was a renegade swordsman whose first instinct was to attack Virgil when he saw him near his home. Remy was ready to stab all of them with his daggers if they harmed his husband. Emile was just a child, but he boldly ran out to heal his father. Janus couldn’t help but recognize himself, Remus, and Virgil in the small family. After all, Emile was around the same age that Virgil was when Janus and Remus had taken him in. And sure, the relationship between Janus and Remus was a brotherly one, not a romantic one (Remus didn’t have any interest in dating or romance, and Janus had his own… complicated past with relationships), but the families were similar all the same. But could he trust them?

“So what happens now?” Janus asked, once Virgil had gone through the curtain. Remy raised an eyebrow and looked between Janus and Remus with a mildly incredulous expression. Remus laughed nervously, idly fiddling with the sleeves of his jacket.

“Gonna be honest, didn’t really think past reuniting with Roman,” he replied sheepishly.

“And I wasn’t even sure if we would be able to  _ find _ Roman,” Janus added.

“Well you’ve found me now! And if you don’t have any pressing matters, you can stay with us!” Roman said with a grin, eyes shining. 

“Roman,” Remy hissed, swatting at his arm.

“What? All we’d have to do is rearrange a little bit, I’m sure we could fit all six of us here…” Roman trailed off, his expression turning sheepish as Remy glared at him.

“Mi amor, they’re rogue supers! No offence to you three, but you’ve probably got targets on your backs because you escaped from the Academy,” Remy pointed out.

“We’ve definitely done more than just escape to piss off the Academy,” Remus replied. Janus let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“While blunt, Remus is right. And I would never want to endanger your family-” Janus started, but was cut off by Roman suddenly spluttering in a bout of mildly offended rambling.

“We can take care of ourselves! I’m the Rogue Knight, and Remy’s pretty damn good with his daggers. And if you think I’m just gonna let my  _ twin brother _ flounce off to do whatever it is you rogue supers do, then you’ve got another thing coming!” he cried out.

“I don’t  _ flounce _ ,” Remus muttered, nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Well how else would I have known that unless I’m able to spend time with you?!” Roman protested, jumping out of his seat as his hands gestured widely. Remy’s lips pressed together in a firm line, and Roman sheepishly sank back down into his seat.

“I don’t want them to leave without the chance of ever seeing them again either, mi caballero. Emile already seems very taken with them, after all,” Remy said softly as he reached out and took Roman’s hand, squeezing it gently.

“They can at least stay for the night, can’t they?” Roman asked. Remy let out a light chuckle.

“It’s technically morning now, but yes. I don’t want them to have to go home at this hour,” Remy said.

“I can barely call our little set-up a home, yours is much cozier. But thank you for letting us stay for tonight,” Janus replied with a small smile. Remy’s expression twisted unexpectedly, and Janus barely controlled the urge to flinch. It was like anger and a fierce determination had come over Remy’s face all at once.

“I changed my mind, we’re keeping them,” he said firmly.

“What?!” Roman, Remus, and Janus all exclaimed in unison.

“I mean, you don’t have to stay with us, but no way I’m letting you three go off to whatever dumpster pile you live in if you think  _ this _ is cozy,” Remy scoffed.

“Hey, we worked hard on this place!” Roman protested.

“Yes, don’t sell yourself short. And are you really okay with us moving in? Just before you seemed rather eager to kick us out,” Janus asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re nearly as dramatic as my husband- I wasn’t going to kick you out! I just was being cautious, which is a major milestone I’ve reached, thank you very much. But old habits die hard, and I impulsively jump into things. Don’t make me regret it,” Remy said with a slight smirk.

“We’ll try not to- or at least, I’ll try not to. Remus can be unpredictable, and I probably shouldn’t speak for Virgil,” Janus replied with a smirk of their own.

“Good enough for me… but now, I think we should all be getting some rest,” Remy replied with a pointed glance at Roman, who looked like he was struggling to stay awake. He tried to blink awake into alertness, but to no avail as he yawned. A smile curled Janus’s lips when he saw Remus yawning as well.

“First thing in the morning- well, later in the morning, I suppose- I’ll go back to our place and grab anything we might need, not that we had much there in the first place,” Janus said as they stood up. The others rose to their feet as well, and made their way to the curtained-off area of the subway car. Emile was curled up beneath a blanket on one of the mattresses, while Virgil was lying a few feet away from Emile. Remy muttered something under his breath- whatever he said was in Spanish, so Janus didn’t understand it- but the tone was soft and fond. He picked up a spare blanket and gently laid it over Virgil’s form. He made a sleepy, confused sound, but reached up to tug the blanket around his shoulders. 

“Let me scoot him over a bit, we won’t all fit otherwise,” Roman murmured. He bent down and gently scooped Virgil up.

“Mhn- Uncle Remus?” Virgil asked, black eyes sleepily blinking open.

“Uncle Roman, actually. Just moving you over a bit so we can all fit,” Roman replied, voice barely a whisper.

“Mkay,” Virgil said with a yawn, eyes fluttering shut as he snuggled into Roman’s chest. Roman gently laid him down next to Emile, who instinctively grabbed on to Virgil in his sleep.

“Good night, sweet princes,” Roman said with a soft chuckle. Roman settled down next to Virgil, and tugged Remy in against his chest with little resistance from the dagger-wielding rogue. Remus grinned and scooped up Janus into his arms (with muffled but resigned protests from Janus) and laid them both down on the other side of Roman and Remy.

“Holy fuck there’s two of them now,” Remy whispered with a chuckle.

“Perhaps our families living together was a bad idea,” Janus commented dryly, trying his best not to fidget in Remus’s arms. 

“Shut up and go to sleep,” Remus muttered, exhaustion tinging his tone. 

“Fair enough. Good night, Remus. And Roman and Remy too, I suppose,” Janus replied. A soft chorus of good nights answered them, and Janus slowly drifted off to sleep. And for the first time in a long while, Janus realized, he felt a little more whole.

* * *

Virgil woke up with a small form clinging to him, and his first instinct was to panic. But then the events of the previous night (and morning) caught up to him, and he opened his eyes to see Emile curled up against him. He carefully dislodged himself from the younger boy, trying not to wake him up. Unfortunately, the minute Virgil crawled away, Emile woke up and blinked in confusion.

“Where are you going?” he asked with a yawn.

“Sorry bud- didn’t mean to wake you. I was just gonna see where everyone else went,” Virgil replied, not meeting Emile’s eyes for fear of freaking him out with his own pitch black ones. 

“It’s okay! I’ll come with you, we’re basically cousins now! Right?” Emile asked, almost timidly. And with Emile’s head cocked to the side like a confused puppy, how could Virgil deny him?

“Uh- yeah. Sure. Whatever makes you happy, bud,” Virgil said with a shrug.

“Yay!” Emile exclaimed, grabbing Virgil’s sleeve and all but launching himself out into the living area of the subway car, tugging Virgil behind him.

“Well, good morning, mijo,” Remy said with a voice full of fond mirth and eyes glinting with amusement.

“Morning… Babi?” Emile tried, looking Remy up and down.

“Yup, I’m they/them today… how do you always know?” they replied with a grin.

“It’s my other superpower,” Emile said with a giggle, and something told Virgil that this exchange was a fairly normal occurrence between the two of them.

“It sure is, mijo. Did you sleep well?” Remy asked. Emile nodded, then unexpectedly looked to Virgil. Remy looked at him too, almost expectantly. Then he realized that they were asking if both Emile  _ and _ Virgil had gotten a good night’s sleep.

“Oh, uh- yeah. It was… cozy,” Virgil replied, fidgeting with the ends of his sleeves and refusing to meet Remy’s gaze. He didn’t want to feel like a burden, and he definitely didn’t want to freak out his host with his eyes.

“Kid, looking me in the eyes isn’t gonna kill you. Unless you’ve got some superpower I don’t know about,” Remy huffed. There was a gentle teasing in their tone, and Virgil couldn’t help but smile sheepishly and finally meet Remy’s gaze.

“Sorry, Mx. Picani-Sanders,” he replied, face burning a little bit. Remy unexpectedly burst into laughter, and for one mortifying moment, Virgil thought they were laughing at him.

“Oh hun there will be NONE of that ‘Mx. Picani-Sanders’ business in my house, just call me Remy,” they said through a laugh, and an unexpected wave of relief washed over Virgil. They weren’t laughing at him, and more importantly, he hadn’t scared them. It felt… nice, to be treated normally. Not that Janus and Remus didn’t treat him normally, but there was something about the blatant domesticity in the Picani-Sanders family that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Not sure if this is really a house… but I’ll keep that in mind, Remy,” Virgil said with a smile. Remy let out one last chuckle.

“Good. Now, Janus is back at your place getting things to bring back here, and against my better judgement, Roman and Remus are off scavenging for supplies. What would you two like to do while we wait for them to get back?” Remy asked. Virgil almost laughed out loud at the thought of Remus being responsible enough to be trusted with a task like that, but a more important thought had sprung to mind and smothered that amusement, instead replacing it with disbelief.

“Wait, does this mean we’re staying with you now? Like, me, Janus, and Remus?” Virgil asked, trying to stave any hopefulness from his tone but failing miserably. 

“It does. Welcome to the family, Virgil,” Remy replied with a grin, reaching up to ruffle Virgil’s hair fondly.

“I  _ knew _ we were cousins!” Emile said triumphantly.

“Guess you were right, bud,” Virgil said with a lopsided grin. Emile grinned back, then reached out to grab Virgil’s hand.

“Come on! I want to show you my favorite place!” Emile said, beginning to tug Virgil towards the subway car doors. He didn’t get very far, as Virgil stayed rooted to the spot as he looked to Remy with a mixture of concern and confusion.

“Go on, it’s just across from the car. I trust you’ll be safe,” Remy encouraged, practically pushing them out of the subway car. With Remy’s permission given, Virgil let Emile pull him along to what seemed to be an old ticket booth. The windows were painted over with black paint, so Virgil couldn’t see what was inside until Emile opened the door and led him in. It was pitch black inside for a moment or two, until Emile fiddled with something and fairy lights suddenly flickered to life. The interior of the ticket booth was like a blanket fort crossed with a kid’s clubhouse. Blankets hung from the ceiling like a canopy, with fairy lights strung about a little haphazardly, but still made the room feel cozy. There were a few pillows in a pile with a stuffed bunny, elephant, and teddy bear placed on top of them. There was a small stack of books on the desk, with some of the titles including Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes, and Winnie the Pooh. A rather bizarre collection of books, but Virgil smiled at what Roman and Remy had clearly scavenged and collected for Emile.

“C’mon! Let me introduce you to my friends!” Emile exclaimed, tugging Virgil over to sit on the pile of pillows. Virgil was careful to not sit on the stuffed animals, and once settled, Emile took the plushies into his arms. He first held out the bunny to Virgil.

“This one’s Mrs. Fluffybottom! She was my Dad’s when he was my age,” he said, handing the bunny over to Virgil. It was wearing a floral dress, and was worn with time and love.

“She looks like quite the classy lady,” Virgil commented. Emile beamed, then held out the bear to Virgil.

“This one’s Barry! He’s Mrs. Fluffybottom’s oldest friend because he used to belong to my Babi!” Emile continued. Virgil took the bear as well, taking a moment to adjust its red bow tie. It was in better condition than Mrs. Fluffybottom, but one of the threads on its button eyes was fraying slightly. All the same, it was an adorable teddy bear.

“Well we’d better keep these two together, huh?” Virgil said, being sure to sit both of them next to each other in his lap. Emile gave a nod of approval, then held out the elephant.

“And then this one is Eden! They’ve only ever been mine, but Mrs. Fluffybottom and Barry are good friends with them too,” Emile said, almost gingerly handing it over to Virgil. He took great care with the plushie, seeing how much it meant to Emile. Eden was the only plushie that didn’t have any sort of clothes or accessories, but it was very soft to the touch.

“They seem like a great bunch of friends,” Virgil said softly, moving them back onto the pillow beside him. Emile almost immediately scooped Eden up into his arms, squeezing the elephant plushie tightly.

“Do you like reading stories?” Emile blurted. Virgil blinked in surprise at the sudden subject change, but decided to just roll with it.

“Uh, sure, why not? Did you wanna read something while we wait for Janus, Remus, and Roman- er, your Dad- to get back?” Virgil offered. Emile grinned, and scrambled up from the pile of pillows to the desk. He grabbed one of the books, then bounded back over and thrust the book into Virgil’s hands.

“This one! And please, actually read it to me? Dad likes to improvise the stories, but I know that they’re not actually like he tells them,” Emile said, voice strangely serious for an eight-year-old. Virgil looked down at the book in his hands… and saw that it was Grimm’s Fairy Tales. He let out a nervous chuckle.

“Uh… well, if you’re sure…” Virgil trailed off, not really sure if he wanted to face Remy or Roman’s wrath if he accidentally traumatized their child.

“I’ve read them before! I’m just slow at reading, and Dad won’t read me what it really says… so I just wanna hear them,” Emile said sheepishly, his big green eyes gazing up at Virgil. In the back of his mind, Virgil got the distinct feeling he was being baited by a child to go against his parent’s wishes… but Emile had some pleading puppy eyes that he just couldn’t ignore.

“Alright bud, which one do you want me to read you?” Virgil asked with a sigh. Emile pondered this for a moment or two before he answered.

“How about… Little Red Riding Hood?” he asked.

“Sounds good to me. Settle in, bud,” Virgil said. Emile cozied up next to him with his stuffed animals as Virgil opened up the book to Little Red Riding Hood. He leaned his head on Virgil’s shoulder so that he could read along, and taking a deep breath, Virgil began to read.


	5. Ghosts of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -nightmare mention  
> -potentially unhealthy coping mechanisms  
> -mild insomnia  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -sparring  
> -teasing/banter  
> -death mention (character dying in dream)  
> -panic attacks  
> -crying  
> -hugging  
> -a character questioning their morals  
> -fire

Logan tried his hardest to settle back into a normal routine after the botched mission. He filled out a report about his encounter with Shadowling, and logged a perhaps inordinate amount of hours in the training center. He just needed something to focus on besides the nightmare visions he had seen. He didn’t even have a mission to focus on- the city seemed to be more calm after his failed attempt to take in Shadowling. Or a worse consideration- the Academy no longer deemed him as acceptable for missions.

He let out a sigh, trying to shove the anxiety and anger down as he walked into the training facility. However, once inside, he found that he was not alone, despite the early hour. Patton was at the punching bags, and Logan walked in to see him punch one clean off the stand with his superstrength. Patton was breathing heavily, and as he wiped the sweat from his brow, he met Logan’s gaze.

“Hiya, kiddo! I’m surprised to see you up this early,” Patton said, grabbing a towel from one of the nearby benches and patting down his face.

“Been restless. How long have you been here?” Logan asked. It was around 6:00 am, and Patton looked like he had been working out for a decent amount of time. Patton looked a little sheepish for a moment or two, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I uh- couldn’t sleep last night. Or this morning, I suppose. Woke up around four, laid in bed for an hour, and then decided I may as well do some training,” he replied with a shrug.

“Something on your mind?” Logan asked. Patton huffed out a laugh.

“I was gonna ask you the same thing,” Patton replied, giving Logan a pointed look. Logan grimaced slightly, refusing to meet Patton’s gaze.

“I- the nightmare visions have been… occupying my mind as of late,” he replied. A look of concern came over Patton’s features.

“You don’t have to talk about it, but I’m here to listen if you need it,” Patton replied softly. Logan swallowed nervously.

“I- I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it yet. But thank you,” Logan said with a weak smile. Patton smiled back, and set down his towel.

“Well, if you’re not up for talking, how about sparring? I’ll go easy on ya, promise,” Patton offered with a grin. Logan let out a short laugh.

“I’m not a kid anymore, Pat. You don’t need to go easy on me,” Logan shot back, heading over to the sparring mat, already letting the star-like energy buzz beneath his skin.

“You’re still a kid in my eyes, Logan. Besides, did you miss me with the punching bag back there?” Patton teased, joining Logan at the mat.

“I did see that- how many punching bags do you owe the Academy now?” Logan asked with a smirk.

“How many scorch marks has the Academy had to fix because of you?” Patton retorted. The two of them began circling each other as they spoke, and Logan’s vision was starting to tint blue as his powers began surging up within him.

“Scorch marks and punching bags aren’t even on the same playing field, Patton,” Logan scoffed. Patton let out a laugh, and lunged at Logan. He sidestepped him easily- but didn’t anticipate how fast Patton could move. He spun and grabbed Logan’s arm and attempted to throw him across the mat, but Logan instead used the momentum to wrap his legs around Patton’s middle. Patton stared down at him incredulously.

“Aren’t you a little old for koala hugs?” Patton asked with a laugh.

“You’re the one who said that I’m still a kid,” Logan scoffed, and reached back to fire a starbolt. The momentum caused Patton- and by default, Logan- to topple over. Logan had a firm grip on Patton’s shirt collar, and he raised his free hand to charge another blast- and then his gaze locked with Patton’s. His eyes were wide with surprise, and suddenly Logan was reliving the nightmare vision. Patton’s eyes, cold and dead- it wasn’t the Academy’s fault, it was his fault  _ his fault _ -

“Logan? Logan! It’s okay, I’m okay! I’m basically indestructible!” Patton’s voice came, but it sounded far away. Logan’s inner fear, in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Shadowling’s, whispered that Patton  _ wasn’t _ indestructible. Logan felt like he couldn’t breathe, but his chest was heaving-  _ why couldn’t he breathe _ ?

“Logan, squeeze my hand if you can hear me!” Patton’s voice came again, and through the haze, Logan managed to squeeze his hand. He felt rather than heard the sigh of relief- it was then Logan realized he was curled close against Patton’s chest.

“Can you take a deep breath for me, kiddo?” Patton asked softly. Logan took a shaking breath in, but let it out rather quickly.

“That’s good, can you try again?” Patton asked, and Logan continued to take deep breaths with Patton’s encouragement until he was breathing normally again.

“Thank you,” Logan gasped out weakly. Patton ran a hand through Logan’s sweaty hair, and he leaned into the touch with a shaky sigh.

“I’ve never seen you freak out like that before… does this have anything to do with your nightmare vision?” Patton asked. Logan took a shuddering, deep breath.

“Patton, I- Shadowling… he made me see my worst fears, and- and I guess… I guess I couldn’t ever fathom what my worst fear was, but- it’s you dying, Patton. And- and it’s not just that, it’s you dying  _ because _ of the Academy- and you just looked so surprised when I pinned you… and now I’m beginning to wonder if the nightmare vision meant that I was the one who- who-” Logan’s ramblings broke off into sobs, and he clutched Patton tighter. Patton moved the hand from his hair so that he could rub Logan’s back as he held him against his chest, whispering soothing words all the while.

“It’s alright, I’m not going anywhere, kiddo,” he soothed.

“But- but how can you _know_ that?! We could get called on a mission-”  
“And if we do, and if something happens to me, it wouldn’t be your fault. And it wouldn’t be the Academy’s fault either, they’re trying to do good in the world!” Patton said, cutting off Logan’s worries and ruffling his hair fondly. Logan swallowed down his tears with a shaky smile. He wished he could believe Patton… but the fact still remained that part of his worst fear was that the Academy, the very organization he had trusted his whole life, was the cause of Patton’s death. Did that mean that the Academy wasn’t as good and just as he thought?

* * *

After getting Logan back to his quarters and insisting that he actually try and rest before throwing himself into training and missions again, Patton headed to his own quarters. Once inside the room (and after closing the door a little firmer than was necessary), he sat down on his bed with a sharp, angry huff of breath. He prided himself on being a more “gentle giant” type of guy, and only using his superstrength if the situation absolutely called for it, but if he ever crossed paths with Shadowling? It was going to be hard holding back. He had made Logan see such  _ awful _ things, and he suspected Logan had seen more than just Patton’s death- he hadn’t missed the distant look that Logan got in his eyes whenever he saw Missy or Pascal. And Shadowling had done that for what? To get away with stealing some old mission files? Of all the things Shadowling could have stolen, why that? What nefarious things could he possibly do with those? And worse, what if he was still working with-

Patton stood up, interrupting his own train of thought. He walked over to his dresser, and opened the top drawer. He pushed aside the folded clothes that sat inside, and pulled out an old photograph that was previously lying beneath them. In the picture, he was holding another person in his arms, nuzzling into their neck with a grin. The person’s eyes- one dark brown, like molten chocolate, while the other was a lighter honey-brown- were glinting with amusement, and their entire face was lit up by a grin. Patton felt a pang of remorse, despite everything that Janus had done. He had run away from the Academy, and he tried to get Patton to leave too. Patton was still baffled as to why- the Academy brought order and safety to the world. Why would Janus want to run from that? They had said that the Academy was lying to them… Patton told them, through angry tears, that  _ they _ were the liar.

Patton let out a sigh, dropping the picture back into the dresser drawer. He still wasn’t totally sure why he had the picture still… but Patton always had been a little sentimental. He couldn’t quite let Janus go after all those years. Although, Janus seemed to prefer going by “Warper” ever since he left the Academy. Patton had figured out that the rogue super, Warper, was Janus far before the Academy ever did. Back in those days, it was just Warper and Sparkplug- but now this “Shadowling” was showing up with them more and more. Patton didn’t like what that meant for the fate of the Academy, the city- heck, even the whole world.

Patton shut his dresser drawer firmly, after setting the clothes back on top of the photo. He headed out of his quarters and down the hall towards the Council meeting room. He was going to request a mission to take Shadowling down, by whatever means necessary. No one messed with his kiddos.

* * *

Logan lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Patton had insisted that he rest, but that’s all he had been doing as of late- and it wasn’t really working. If he closed his eyes, he saw the nightmare visions. If he just lied there with his eyes open, he felt useless. Logan hated feeling useless.

With a huff of breath, Logan got up from his bed and walked over to his desk. He sat down and reached into one of the drawers, pulling out a journal that he hadn’t written in since he was a child. Maybe he should take up journaling again- it would be a way to get his thoughts out, at least.

_ Second Day After Shadowling Encounter- I still can’t get the nightmare visions out of my head. It is illogical to expect them to just vanish, but I am frustrated nevertheless. The particular one that won’t leave me alone is the fear of Patton dying- but why is the Academy so present to me as part of that fear? The Academy is an organization bringing order to the world, yet some deep dark part of me is insistent that Patton’s hypothetical death was  _ their  _ fault. Perhaps Shadowling influenced my fears somehow… if that is the case, I feel compelled to find out why. I think I need to track Shadowling down and demand why he made me see the things I did. _

Logan set his pen down, letting out a shaky sigh. Patton would probably argue that going after Shadowling would not be good for his mental state… but Logan needed answers. Another issue was that the Academy likely would not allow Logan to undertake the mission, considering how his last attempt had gone. So his options were either do nothing, which is what he was currently doing, or go against the Academy and track down Shadowling by himself.

A sharp knock at the door startled Logan, and he quickly shut his journal and shoved it back into his desk drawer before leaping up to answer the door. He opened it to see Pascal, who had flames licking the dark skin of their arms, and Logan’s eyes went wide with alarm. They noticed his expression, and looked confused for a moment or two until they caught sight of their arms. They quickly patted themself down, putting out the flames.

“Sorry, got a little jittery there- the Academy just called us in for a code red mission,” Pascal said, swallowing nervously. Logan’s eyes went wide. Code red missions were the most dangerous mission level, and needed to be taken care of with the utmost efficiency.

“What’s the mission?” Logan asked, stepping out of his room and closing the door before walking alongside Pascal to Missy’s quarters. 

“Dunno, we’re not being given a mission briefing- we just need to get to the city square ASAP,” Pascal replied, and Logan noticed flames creeping up their arms again.

“How are we supposed to carry through with the mission if there’s no briefing?” Logan asked incredulously.

“All they told me was that it was a time-sensitive, code red situation, and that our training was mission briefing enough,” Pascal said, the flames growing a bit more furiously. Pascal noticed the flames with panicked eyes, and took a deep breath. The flames died down, just enough so that they could knock on Missy’s door. Logan’s brow furrowed in concern. Could it be a coincidence that the Academy was sending him on a dangerous mission, so soon after he was questioning their validity? The fact that they were given so few details about the mission didn’t help either.

“Pascal, it’s early-”

“We’ve been assigned to a code red mission, we have no briefing and we have to go now,” Pascal interrupted her whining. Missy perked up immediately, wings puffed out and eyes wide with alarm.

“Where?” she asked, quickly exiting her room and closing the door behind her.

“City square. Our training is supposedly enough to do this without a mission briefing,” Pascal replied, spinning on their heel and heading towards the exit of the agents’ quarters. Logan and Missy scrambled to follow them.

“Is Patton already waiting for us?” Logan asked.

“Yup,” Pascal replied. Missy and Logan exchanged nervous glances. He had never seen Pascal so tense about something before… and frankly, Logan was feeling the same way. The timing couldn’t be coincidental… but then what did that imply about the Academy? Maybe it was just a coincidence that Logan was sent on a dangerous mission after beginning to question the Academy… but maybe, a deep dark part of him feared, they wanted to silence him before he ever got the chance to find out the truth, if any such “truth” was to be found.


	6. A Hero's (?) Doubts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -descriptions of destruction  
> -fire  
> -explosions  
> -swearing  
> -insults  
> -violence  
> -injury  
> -mention of separated families  
> -superhero equivalent of police brutality  
> -a character questioning their morals  
> -teasing/banter  
> -blood mention  
> -anxious thoughts

It looked like it had been too late when Logan and the rest of his task force arrived at the city square. Buildings were crumbling and smoldering, cars were demolished, and a handful of small fires were burning, scattered among the wreckage of the city square. The decorative patches of flowers, grass, and trees were overgrown and sprawling, and vines curled up lampposts and tangled around cars and civilians. And in the center of it all… a pair of rogue supers: one dressed all in black with touches of red, and the other wearing various shades of green- Bombshell and Wyldflower. Bombshell’s civilian name was Roseanne Casper, and Logan vaguely remembered her from when she had been an agent from the Academy. Dark hair pulled up into a ponytail, piercing blue eyes and an attitude to match. She had always been hot-headed, and that combined with the fact that she could create small, explosive orbs with a flick of her fingers made her dangerous. Wyldflower’s civilian name was Estelle Carina, and Logan wasn’t certain if she had ever been part of the Academy, but he knew that Wyldflower was the reason that Bombshell had left the Academy. Wyldflower could control plants and grow them instantaneously, and how the Academy had missed such a powerful super, Logan wasn’t sure. But whatever the case, Bombshell ended up bewitched (at least, those were how the stories had gone) by Wyldflower’s short, untamed curly hair and soft, earthy brown eyes.

“Logan, you and Pascal take care of Bombshell and Wyldflower. Missy and I will get the civilians out of harm’s way,” Patton ordered, pulling Logan from his thoughts. Pascal, Logan, and Missy responded with curt nods, each of them heading off to fulfill their tasks. Missy took off into the air, flying over to where a cluster of civilians were trapped in a mass of vines. Patton ran over to a flipped over car with a family trapped inside, and that left Pascal and Logan to face the rogue duo. Pascal let flames lick at their fingertips, and Logan let the familiar buzz of energy flow through his veins. They headed towards Bombshell and Wyldflower, who regarded the two of them with a skeptical eye.

“Rosie, darling, I think the Academy’s sent  _ children _ to fight us!” Wyldflower scoffed. Bombshell nodded, eyes narrowing as she focused on Logan.

“Not just any children… that’s Logan Thorne. He always followed Agent Carter around like a lost puppy,” Bombshell sneered.

“Aw what, don’t recognize me, traitor?” Pascal huffed, the flames traveling up their arms now.

“Agent Frasque…” Logan warned, but it fell on deaf ears.

“Should I?” Bombshell asked with a snicker.

“Yeah, as the Academy agent that’s gonna kick your ass,” Pascal spat. Logan groaned internally- he had always known that Pascal’s attitude was going to get them in trouble one day, and that Logan was going to have to be the one to pull them out of it. Bombshell’s expression twisted with annoyance, and in the blink of an eye, she created one of her explosive orbs and flicked it towards Pascal. Without a second thought, Logan leapt at Pascal and tackled them out of harm’s way. The orb hit the ground where Pascal had previously been standing, and the force of the explosion blew both of them backwards. Logan’s ears rang, and he groaned as he tried to push himself off of Pascal. His vision was blurry, but he could hear Pascal’s trembling coughs- a sign that at the very least, they were alive.

Logan was suddenly yanked back by something that had curled around his waist and pinned his arms to his sides. He squirmed against the… thing, and blinked the spots from his vision to see that he was now several feet in the air. Pascal was still sprawled on the ground, with Bombshell stalking towards them, and Wyldflower was standing beneath Logan, arms outstretched- then Logan realized what was keeping him bound. Thick vines were coiled around him, slowly squeezing tighter as Logan squirmed.

“There’s no point in struggling, Agent Thorne! My vines- now hold on a minute… maybe your ensnarement should match your name,” Wyldflower sneered with a cruel grin. With a flick of her wrists, thorns sprouted along the vines, piercing through his Academy uniform and digging into his skin. A pained groan escaped through Logan’s clenched teeth, and he ceased his squirming, lest he accidentally cause more harm to himself.

“You’re putting civilians in harm’s way,” Logan pleaded, trying to reason with the rogue super.

“So the child has begun lecturing on morals?” Wyldflower scoffed.

“If I am such a child, then why are you actively trying to harm me? Even some rogues have lines they don’t cross,” Logan shot back. Wyldflower tsked, clenching her hands and causing the vines to squeeze tighter. Logan let out a pained yelp, and a sadistic smile spread over Wyldflower’s face.

“I’m not ‘some rogues,’ little Agent,” she said, voice low and dangerous.

“Let him go,” a voice growled. Both Wyldflower and Logan’s heads snapped to where they heard the voice, and Logan saw Patton standing a few feet away from Wyldflower and himself.

“Agent Carter, I presume? Here to rescue your widdle baby?” Wyldflower said, her voice condescending. Rage boiled within Logan, and he felt his power surging and growing beneath his fingertips until he couldn’t contain it any longer.

“Enough!” he snarled, starlight shooting from his fingertips and burning away the vines that had held him captive. He fell to the ground, rolling to his feet and glaring at Wyldflower with blazing blue eyes.

“What?! You little-” she shrieked, but was cut off by Logan taking off his glasses and letting the starbolts fly free from his eyes. She managed to dodge the blast, but ended up getting closer to Patton to do so.

“I think that’s enough of you belittling me,” Logan huffed, getting ready to fire another volley of starbolts- from his eyes or his hands, he hadn’t quite decided yet.

“And  _ I _ think that’s enough of you threatening my lovely Estelle,” Bombshell’s voice snarled. Logan’s gaze snapped over to the rogue super, and his breath caught when he saw her standing over Pascal’s unconscious form, one of her explosive orbs dancing between her fingertips.

“Roseanne, please, you were a hero once! You can be a hero again,” Patton pleaded. Bombshell let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

“I was  _ never _ a hero, Agent Carter. I was the Academy’s little toy soldier, torn from a family I’ll never know. And I used to be fine with that. I used to think that the Academy  _ was _ working for the greater good… but all they do is hurt people,” she fumed. 

“But you’re hurting people right now!” Patton protested, expression twisting with concern and confusion.

“I’m just speaking in the only language the Academy seems to understand,” she replied coldly. Bombshell’s words shook Logan to his core. Just moments before the mission, Logan had been questioning the validity of the Academy’s motives. And now these rogue supers seemed to be confirming his doubts, that the Academy wasn’t as much of a force for good as Logan had thought. But could he really trust Bombshell or Wyldflower? They were actively trying to cause them harm… but then again, the rogues likely saw Logan and the rest of the task force as an extension of the Academy. In the words of Bombshell, they must have been “little toy soldiers” to her and Wyldflower. Pawns in some complicated game that Logan didn’t have the full picture for.

A sharp cry interrupted Logan’s train of thought, and he saw Bombshell get taken up into the air by a blur of white, black, and gold. Missy had swooped in and plucked Bombshell away before she had a chance to drop her explosive orbs. Wyldflower shrieked- in anger or anguish, Logan couldn’t tell- and vines exploded up from the ground, twining after Missy and Bombshell. Logan grit his teeth together- while most of him was confused about his allegiance to the Academy, the one thing he knew for sure was that he was faithful to his friends. He wasn’t going to let Bombshell or Wyldflower hurt them. He directed his laser vision at Wyldflower’s vines, burning them away before they could reach Missy.

“Why you-” Wyldflower shrieked, but the rest of her sentence was cut off by Patton grabbing her from behind and snapping power-dampening cuffs on her wrists. Logan involuntarily winced at Patton’s action. But he wasn’t quite sure why… Wyldflower was one of the bad guys, wasn’t it good that Patton managed to get the cuffs on her? Maybe he was just keyed up from the adrenaline rush… that had to be it. Wyldflower was likely going to hurt someone if Patton hadn’t done something. But why didn’t that assurance make Logan feel any better?

“Wyldflower is in custody, how are you holding up with Bombshell, Agent Laude?” Patton asked, speaking into his communicator. Logan heard a grunt of effort from Missy over the communicator, and a sound of frustration from Bombshell.

“She’s cuffed, Agent Carter. Coming down now… how are Agents Thorne and Frasque?” Missy asked, and the concern in her tone shook Logan out of the strange feeling of discomfort he felt. 

“I am fine, just some minor cuts and bruising. Checking up on Agent Frasque now, but as far as I can tell they just seem to be unconscious,” Logan said, jogging over to where Pascal laid on the ground. He knelt down beside them, putting his fingers to their neck and breathing out a sigh of relief when their pulse was steady. Their breathing seemed a little labored- they likely had bruised or even broken ribs from Logan tackling them out of the explosion’s range. Logan moved to feel the back of Pascal’s head to see if they had sustained any injuries there, but froze when Pascal coughed and their eyes fluttered open.

“Don’t kiss me!” they protested blearily, and Logan let out a light chuckle.

“I am checking your thickheaded skull for injuries, Pascal,” Logan teased fondly. Pascal let out a pained laugh.

“Keep telling yourself that Logan, you know you wanted to kiss me awake like the handsome prinx I am,” they scoffed. Logan rolled his eyes.

“If you’re the royal here, let me be the knight rushing to your aid and let me check you over for injuries,” Logan reprimanded with a smile. 

“Does it help you to know that everything hurts?” Pascal grumbled. Logan frowned, and gently felt around Pascal’s abdomen. Pascal hissed in response to Logan’s touch, and he quickly drew his hands back.

“At the very least your ribs are bruised, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one or more of them were broken. How’s your head feel?” Logan asked.

“Like someone’s been using it as their personal punching bag. But it looks like someone was using you as a scratching post,” Pascal said, gesturing at Logan’s cuts. Logan grimaced and glanced over his wounds. Fortunately, none of them seemed that deep and several of the cuts had already stopped bleeding.

“I’m fine, it’s just some scratches,” Logan replied with a shrug. Pascal glared at Logan with a raised eyebrow, and Logan had the decency to at least feel a little sheepish.

“Logan, I will drag you to the infirmary if I have to, so help me-” they started, but was cut off by a voice from behind Logan.

“Pascal, I’m not sure you can really drag anyone anywhere, but I will yeet the both of you into the infirmary myself if I have to,” the voice said. Logan turned to see Missy standing behind him, one hand on the arm of a scowling and cuffed Bombshell.

“Hey, I never said I  _ wasn’t _ gonna go to the infirmary! Just that Logan needs to come with me!” Pascal protested.

“Oh, alright then, I guess I’ll just have to worry about yeeting Logan,” Missy replied, and Logan rolled his eyes.

“I really am fine, but I will go to the infirmary if it will cease your insistent need to mother hen me,” Logan said dryly. Missy’s wings flared out slightly as she glared down at Logan.

“I am  _ not _ a mother hen,” she scowled. Logan chuckled, and for a brief moment he noticed a flicker of a smile appear on Bombshell’s face. He blinked, and Bombshell was scowling once more. Had he imagined the rogue super’s expression? Why on earth would she find their banter so amusing, she was supposed to be the bad guy… wasn’t she? From everything the Academy taught him, rogues were supposed to be joyless, mean-spirited, evil people. Logan shook his head. He had to be imagining things… but there still was doubt niggling in the back of his mind.

“Everyone will be getting a trip to the infirmary when we get back to the Academy. But until then, we sit tight and wait for the prisoner transports I called in,” Patton said as he walked over with Wyldflower. Logan, Pascal, and Missy nodded curtly, because if anyone on their task force was a mother hen, it was definitely Patton. He cared a lot about the team, and that fact soothed Logan, if only slightly. If the Academy could result in someone as kind as Patton, were they really in the wrong? But then Logan considered the force Patton had used to take in Wyldflower, and his thoughts spiralled again. He took a breath, and tried to still his worried thoughts. He had to focus on the present issue, which was the various injured states of his teammates. So he did as Patton ordered, and waited for the prisoner transports.

* * *

Later that night, after being checked over by the Academy’s medics who confirmed that Logan’s scratches were just that- scratches, he laid awake in his bed. Without anything to distract from them, his thoughts spiralled into doubts. The visions Shadowling had made him see. Bombshell’s point about the Academy being needlessly violent, and Patton’s actions that seemed to prove that point. Logan had to find answers somehow. And despite all instincts telling him not to, he had to seek out Shadowling and figure out why he had stolen those files and why he had made Logan see the things he did. But before he could do that, there was someone else he needed to talk to first- or rather, two someones. So before he could decide against it, Logan got out of bed, and prepared to head for the Academy’s imprisonment facility.


	7. How to Find a Shadow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -insults  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -violence mention  
> -injury mention  
> -death mention  
> -crying

Logan wasn’t sure what he was doing. Well, he knew what he was doing, he just wasn’t sure  _ why _ he was doing it. And yet there he was, walking down the halls of the Academy’s imprisonment facility. It had been surprisingly easy for Logan to “break in”. He knew the guard rotations and was able to disable the security cameras rather quickly, but he wasn’t sure if that made him feel better or not. But no matter- he was in the prison, and he was too far in to turn back now. Although when he reached the cell door of one of the prisoners he wanted to see, part of him wished he had turned back when he had the chance.

“My, my, are you lost, Agent Thorne? I hardly recognize you when you’re not answering Agent Carter’s every beck and call,” Bombshell sneered, glaring at Logan through the electrified prison bars.

“That is not the dynamic I have with Agent Carter and you know it. And he doesn’t know I’m here anyhow,” Logan replied with a scowl. Bombshell seemed taken aback, and she raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you’re going rogue,” she scoffed. Logan swallowed nervously.

“I- I’m not going rogue. I just need answers, and to get those answers I’ll- I- I’ll need your help,” Logan said, voice shaking slightly. Bombshell let out a harsh, bitter laugh.

“You know what they say about cats and curiosity, don’t you, Agent Thorne?” she teased, though there was nothing lighthearted in her tone, and her eyes were hard as steel. Logan met her gaze with equal conviction.

“Yes, and I also know how the saying ends: ‘satisfaction brought it back,’” Logan said evenly. Bombshell chuckled, and she shook her head- something about the movement seemed strangely fond. It reminded Logan of the fleeting smile he saw when they had taken her into custody, and it left Logan just as confused as before.

“Alright kid, I’ll bite. What do you need from me?” she asked. Logan blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to be willing to listen to him so soon, and frankly, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say now. So of course, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that? Like you’re amused or endeared by my actions? I noticed it earlier when my task force and I had taken you into custody, and again just now, when I finished the idiom,” Logan asked. A burst of surprised laughter bubbled from Bombshell’s lips, and Logan’s gut twisted uncomfortably at the sound.

“The hell kind of question is that? Is that what you came here for?” she asked between laughs.

“No! I just- it just sort of slipped out. It’s not important, what I actually-”

“It’s because you’re a kid,” Bombshell said, cutting off Logan’s sentence.

“I… what?” Logan asked, less eloquently than he’d liked.

“When you and your teammates were bickering. When you were a smart aleck about that idiom. Despite everything the Academy’s tried to make you be… you’re still a kid. Do us all a favor and hold onto that,” Bombshell replied with half of a smile quirking up on her lips.

“I- um, right. Now about what I came here for… I need to find information on Shadowling’s whereabouts,” Logan explained. Bombshell’s eyes went wide.

“Uh, hate to break it to you, but all us rogues don’t exactly meet up for weekly tea parties,” she replied, seeming uncharacteristically nervous. Logan frowned.

“It was not my intention to ask you for information on Shadowling… but what exactly do you mean? I was under the assumption that all rogues were somewhat in league with each other,” Logan said, feeling a little uncomfortable with how little he actually seemed to know. Bombshell sighed, shaking her head and grimacing slightly.

“Shadowling is part of Warper’s crew, along with Sparkplug. Those three… they’re infamous, but not like Estel- I mean, Wyldflower, and I. She and I like to be dramatic, showy, loud and proud about being rogues… but Warper’s crew? They’re just always  _ lurking _ . You don’t see or hear anything about them for months, then bam! They’re front and center. Then just as quickly as they popped up, they disappear again. But one thing’s for sure: everyone knows to steer clear of them. Rogue supers and Academy agents alike. So the hell are you thinking, seeking out  _ Shadowling _ out of all of them?” Bombshell asked. Logan hesitated, internally debating on how much he should tell her.

“Shadowling is the only one I can go to for answers,” he said. Bombshell stared at him with a long, searching gaze.

“He used his powers on you, didn’t he?” she asked, trying to seem aloof, but there was a touch of horror in her tone that gave her away.

“It doesn’t matter. I just need you and Wyldflower to create a distraction so I can get into the Academy’s files on Shadowling undetected. You can’t kill or seriously injure anyone, but this is the only offer you’ll get for you and Wyldflower to be free,” Logan said firmly.

“You’re breaking us out? Seems like a pretty big risk,” Bombshell replied, confusion written in her expression.

“Yes, but I need the Academy to be occupied with something else so I have a better chance of getting the files undetected. Besides, I feel… guilty about imprisoning you,” Logan admitted.

“Careful, Agent Thorne. You’re beginning to sound like a rogue,” Bombshell commented dryly.

“I’m not a rogue! I just-”

“Need answers, yeah. But what are you gonna do if you don’t like what you find?” she asked, a touch of concern in her voice. Anxiety crackled beneath the surface of Logan’s skin. He hadn’t really thought about what he would do after getting his so-called answers. If Shadowling and other rogues really were the villains? Then he’d just go back to the Academy with the underlying guilt that he had let Bombshell and Wyldflower go. But if the Academy was the villain? Logan wasn’t really sure what he’d do. Could he really go rogue, and turn his back on the only family he’d ever known? Or could he convince Patton, Missy, and Pascal that the Academy was wrong, could he convince  _ everyone _ that the Academy was wrong? Or could he rejoin the Academy and try and change the system from within? Logan shook his head.

“I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it,” he replied. Bombshell frowned at his choice of words, but shook her head and fortunately didn’t decide to comment on it.

“Well, I guess I don’t really need to know anyhow. What’s the plan, Agent Thorne?” she asked. In response, Logan pulled out a small rectangular device and placed it on the wall next to the cell door.

“This is a device that will send out a controlled EMP blast, but I’ve modified it slightly to reflect the blackouts that Sparkplug has caused on Academy property in the past. It will short out the electrified bars as well as the power dampening shield in your cell. Wyldfl- Estelle’s cell is further down this hall, you can break her out however you see fit, just don’t kill or seriously injure someone,” Logan explained.

“I get it, I get it. Don’t hurt someone so bad that they can’t come back from it,” Bombshell said flippantly, but her expression was serious.

“Thank you Bom- Roseanne. I’ll set off the EMP device now, it has a thirty-second countdown. You may also want to back away from the cell bars,” Logan said. Roseanne nodded and stepped backwards.

“Good luck, Agent Thorne,” she said softly.

“Logan,” he offered. Roseanne smiled.

“Well, good luck to you, Logan. And if you end up going rogue after all, don’t hesitate to find me and Estelle. We’ve always wanted a kid,” she said, her tone mildly teasing. Logan couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied. And with that, he activated the device. He watched the timer click down for a moment, then with one last smile to Roseanne, he turned and ran out of the imprisonment facility.

* * *

Alarms had begun blaring when Logan made it to the Academy’s information center, and he found it empty of any Academy agents, just like he had planned. He ran over to the circular control panel in the center of the room and immediately began scouring for information on Shadowling, Warper, and Sparkplug. Upon doing the slightest bit of digging, Logan was mildly shocked at what he found. The first thing was that the three rogues seemed to be related, their civilian names all included the last name “Sanders.” The second thing that shocked him was that Warper and Sparkplug- or rather, Janus and Remus- had been Academy agents. And not just that, they had worked closely with  _ Patton _ . Logan saw several mission logs with both Patton’s and Warper’s names on them, with Sparkplug’s name occasionally joining the mix. Shadowling, on the other hand… Logan wasn’t able to figure out  _ where _ he came from. He had just sort of shown up at some point after Warper and Sparkplug were well-established rogues. There was a file discussing an incident in which Warper and Sparkplug stole some sort of weapon, then all the files dated after that one started mentioning the mysterious Shadowling- Virgil Sanders. Logan couldn’t help but feel like Shadowling and the weapon were connected somehow, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

Logan shook his head- these were all past mission logs. He needed more recent information to find Shadowling. He resumed his search, and finally found something that could actually help him. There were two areas that Warper and his “crew,” as Roseanne had put it, had been sighted recently. An abandoned office building, and a scrapyard on the edge of the city. He took out a small notebook and pen from an inner pocket of his uniform and jotted down the locations, as well as the information he had found about Warper, Sparkplug, and Shadowling’s pasts. It could come in handy. Feeling satisfied with what he had found, he exited the computer, being careful to make sure that he didn’t leave any trace that he had been in the system at all. He slipped out of the information center, and out of the Academy’s sprawling campus of clustered buildings. He had to find answers, and the first place he planned to look was the abandoned office building. Whether the answers ended up being ones he wanted to find or not was to be determined.

* * *

Patton woke up to alarms blaring. Against his will, his thoughts drifted back to the last time he had woken up to alarms blaring- the day Janus had ran away. It was a memory filled with heartbreak and anger, and Patton squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to think about it- besides, this alarm had to be different. It wasn’t Janus and Remus causing mass destruction to spite the only home they had ever known. Patton wouldn’t be betrayed again. But why didn’t that soothe his anxieties? Why did this alarm have to feel so much like the one that ended in Janus abandoning Patton?

Shaking his head, Patton got out of bed and briskly walked out of his quarters- only to run smack dab into Missy. Missy, who was  _ crying _ . Patton’s heart twisted, and he gently grabbed the super’s shaking shoulders.

“There’s been a power surge in the prison- they’re saying it was caused by Sparkplug. There’s also evidence of someone breaking into the information center, and- and- Logan’s  _ missing _ ,” she explained, voice trembling as she broke down into sobs. Patton’s blood ran cold. Sparkplug- Remus- had a reputation for being unpredictable. If Logan had gone after him alone… Patton didn’t want to finish the thought.

“We’ll find him, maybe he didn’t go after Sparkplug! He could just be in the bathroom, or maybe he couldn’t sleep and went to the training center…” Patton rambled, trying to soothe Missy, but his words only seemed to distress her further.

“I’ve looked everywhere, Pascal’s been looking too! He’s just  _ gone _ , Patton!” she cried out, wings twitching restlessly.

“We’ll find him, I promise. Then we’ll lock him in his room to keep him from running off again if we have to,” Patton joked, although it ended up falling flat.

“Yeah… if there’s anything left of Logan to find,” Missy said gravely. Patton swallowed nervously. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Missy had a point. Even when Remus was at the Academy, he had a tendency to take things too far. He didn’t like Logan’s odds… but that just made him all the more determined to find him. And maybe, just maybe, Patton would be able to solve the rogues problem after all, his complicated past with them be damned.


	8. Internal Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -violence  
> -explosions  
> -injury  
> -death threats  
> -unconsciousness  
> -character being tied up  
> -kidnapping  
> -teasing/banter  
> -crying  
> -shouting  
> -arguing

The office building was dark and shadowy when Logan arrived. He summoned a bit of starlight energy in the palm of his hand, casting the room in an eerie blue glow. The office looked just as empty and abandoned as the outside had suggested. There was no evidence that anyone had been there, Shadowling or otherwise. Or at least, that was what Logan had assumed at first glance.

“What are we even doing back here, I thought Janus had gotten everything?!” a voice hissed from somewhere down the hall. Logan scrambled over to hide behind a desk, waving away the starlight in his hand as he did so.

“He got  _ mostly _ everything, but he thinks we don’t need the old broken down computer, and I do!” another voice snapped back. The first voice sighed.

“Y’know, if you hadn’t introduced Janus to me as our honorary older brother, I would’ve thought that you two were an old married couple,” the first voice teased. A light smack was heard, and Logan saw two figures walk into the room soon after.

“Marriage and romance might work for you Roman, but it sure as hell isn’t my kind of thing,” the second voice said, and one of the figures raised their hand and let green electricity crackle over it.  _ Sparkplug _ . But the other figure wasn’t Warper, instead, it was someone who even in the low light looked nearly identical to Sparkplug. Logan’s gut twisted with nerves. The files hadn’t said  _ anything _ about Sparkplug having a twin, or a clone, or whoever the other person was. But regardless, it seemed Logan was a little in over his head.

“I was only kidding! Now where is this computer you so desperately need?” the first voice- Roman?- asked. They stepped forward, then promptly ran into a desk. The very desk Logan was hiding behind. Logan’s hand had been braced against the desk as he was crouching behind it, and the sudden force of another person running into it sent him toppling over with a thump.

“Nice going Roman, you’re smashing up our old house, you know,” Sparkplug teased. Roman laughed, and stepped closer to where Logan was sprawled on the floor. Neither Roman nor Sparkplug had seen him yet, but if Roman got any closer… but in the time Logan spent debating on what to do, Roman had spotted him with a gasp. In a moment of blind instinct, Logan fired a blast of blue energy at him. Roman yelped and jumped back, dodging the blast and unsheathing a sword from seemingly nowhere in one fluid movement.

“Hey Sparky, we’ve got a friend!” Roman cried out. Logan scrambled to his feet, letting starlight burn in his palms as his vision lit up with tinted blue light.

“I noticed, why haven’t you stabbed him yet, Knight?” Sparkplug growled. Logan spared a glance over to the rogue super, and his heart leapt into his throat. Electricity was dancing along his form, and his eyes were blazing green.

“Well last time I tried to stab someone, he ended up being my nephew!” Roman- or Knight?- hissed.

“In case you haven’t noticed, they’re wearing an Academy uniform! Very unlikely that they’re gonna end up being family,” Sparkplug scoffed.

“They could be a newly escaped rogue!” Roman and/or Knight protested.

“I am not a rogue! I just need answers,” Logan snapped. Both of their heads snapped to Logan, and he regretted saying anything instantly.

“Like hell I’m gonna let the Academy interrogate us, I just got my twin back!” Sparkplug fumed, and the air crackled with electricity.

“Remus, wait!” Sparkplug’s twin, apparently, shouted. But it was too late, and Sparkplug fired a blast of electricity at Logan. He managed to deflect it with his own blast, but the collision of the two energies resulted in an explosion that blew all three of them away from each other. Logan caught the brunt of the explosion, and it sent him slamming into the wall. He laid in a crumpled daze for who knows how long, but eventually Logan heard footsteps drawing closer to him. Logan weakly tried to scramble away, but every movement sent pain shooting through his body. He heard the crackle of electricity again, and a whimper escaped him against his will.

“Remus, what are you doing?!” a voice demanded, and Logan couldn’t be bothered to puzzle out who it belonged to.

“Finishing the job. I’m not letting the Academy separate us again,” another voice growled.

“We don’t know if that’s why they were here! Remus, look at them! They look like they could be Virgil’s age, and you just want to kill them without knowing what their purpose was here?!” the first voice protested. Logan startled slightly at the name Virgil. He knew that name, it was connected to something important…

“Fine! We take them back home, and once we find out why they were just lurking here, then we can kill them!” the second voice conceded with manic glee. The first voice said something else, but Logan couldn’t quite make it out. Instead, he let the cold embrace of unconsciousness claim him with a pained groan.

* * *

Logan woke up slowly. He felt strangely warm, like his insides were freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, or marshmallows on top of hot chocolate. His eyes fluttered open as he tried to lift his head up, but everything felt slow and syrupy. There was the startled gasp of a child beside him, and the warm, gooey feeling faded in a near instant. Logan shivered involuntarily, and found that he was sitting, propped up on some sort of beam, and his wrists were tied above him.

“Mami! They’re awake!” a child’s voice- the same one that had gasped- said. The child in question darted away from Logan, and it was then he realized that they had been sitting next to him. When his gaze followed where the child ran to, Logan’s breath caught in his throat. He was surrounded by rogues.

There was Warper, easily recognizable by the long hooded black jacket they wore with its yellow lining and the yellow gloves he wore. His yellow goggles were propped up in their hair, so Logan could see them glaring at him with dual-toned eyes. Next to him stood Sparkplug, with his signature leather jacket layered over his gray hoodie, but he also wore some sort of green scarf around his neck, which seemed to be a new addition- Logan didn’t recall it from the descriptions in the files. Next to Sparkplug stood a man that looked nearly identical to him, just without the mustache or streak of white in his hair. Logan recognized him in the light now- the Rogue Knight. He wasn’t a super, but the stories Logan had heard about him as a swordsman made him infamous. Logan recognized the cream hooded cloak and the red cowl scarf from various pictures he had seen, but this was the first time he had seen him with the hood down. Beside the Rogue Knight stood who must have been the Guardian, with their hair pulled back in a braid and knives sheathed at their side. There was supposed to be a third in the Rogue Knight’s group, but Logan didn’t see the rarely mentioned Doctor anywhere. The only one there with them was the child… and then it clicked together for Logan. The strange warm sensation he had woken up to? The fact that he didn’t feel any pain despite experiencing the force of an explosion? The child  _ was _ the Doctor, a mysterious rogue super with healing powers. 

Then there was the last figure, standing a bit apart from the rest of the group, and closest to Logan. Shadowling. He wasn’t as intimidating as Logan remembered him from the rainy fight in the alley. He was tall and lanky, but he was slouching, almost hunching in on himself. His hands were buried in the pockets of his black hoodie with purple patches, and with the ripped jeans, distressed purple t-shirt, and purple lace-up boots, he just seemed like some ordinary emo or punk kid. But the pitch-black eyes peering at Logan from beneath his hood said otherwise. Logan should have been afraid of those eyes. Instead, he was only… intrigued. 

“Didn’t expect to see you again, Starboy,” Shadowling commented dryly. Logan stayed silent, considering his options. He could technically burn through the rope binding his wrists to the beam, but he was vastly outnumbered. And he wanted answers from Shadowling, but he wasn’t exactly prepared for an audience. Frankly, Logan wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he sought out Shadowling, but getting kidnapped by a group of rogues was at the bottom of his list. So instead, he decided to go for a stubborn and indignant response.

“I have a name,” he huffed.

“Funny, cause I don’t remember you introducing yourself when you chased after me with your energy blasts a few days ago,” Shadowling shot back. Logan’s lips pressed together in a firm line.

“You stole from the Academy! I was merely doing my job. But if you really want to know my name that bad, I’m Logan Thorne,” Logan replied, glaring Shadowling down.

“Yeah, I think I like ‘Starboy’ better,” he said with a smirk. Logan made an indignant sound, and opened his mouth to give a retort, but was cut off by a shout from Warper.

“Enough! I don’t care what your name is, what were you doing snooping around in that building?” they demanded, staring Logan down.

“As I told Sparkplug, I was looking for answers,” he replied evenly. Logan’s gaze flickered to Shadowling’s as he spoke, and while it was only a brief glance, Warper picked up on it instantly.

“Why did you look at him like that?” he asked in a near growl. Logan let out a long breath through his nose, and looked to Shadowling once more before meeting Warper’s gaze again.

“The night he stole files from the Academy, he made me see some- some  _ nightmare _ vision, and I need to know why I saw the things I saw,” Logan replied, deciding that he couldn’t delay admitting the truth any longer. He saw Shadowling stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and Logan saw guilt flicker over his expression for a brief moment.

“Hate to break it to you, but I didn’t make you see anything that wasn’t already in your own head,” Shadowling replied gruffly. Logan swore he felt his heart stop, as illogical as that would be. Everything he had seen… that had come from  _ himself _ ? But that couldn’t be possible, that meant that a part of him was afraid of the Academy… it didn’t make sense! The Academy had been everything he had ever known, why would he be afraid of them?! Unless…

“You’re lying! You have to be! Why else would I see the closest person I have to a father dead because of the Academy?! The Academy is all I have ever known, why else would I be afraid of them killing Agent Carter unless  _ you _ somehow put that thought in my head?!” Logan shouted, vaguely aware that tears were gathering in his eyes, but he was too angry to care. He breathed heavily for a moment or two, and it took him a second to realize that everyone had gone stock-still at his exclamation, and that Sparkplug and Shadowling were looking to Warper with wide-eyed expressions. Meanwhile Warper- Warper looked positively  _ shocked _ .

“Did you just say Agent Carter?” he asked, voice deceptively light. Logan swallowed nervously. Something in Warper’s expression looked so vulnerable and fragile, and it was then Logan remembered that he had seen Patton’s name alongside Warper’s in old mission files. They had worked together, and if Warper’s expression was any indication, they must have been close.

“Yes. He’s the leader of my task force, although I must admit I don’t see how that’s relevant-”

“He didn’t tell you about me, did he? All you know about me, or Sparkplug, or Shadowling, or any of us is all the nonsense the Academy’s fed you, isn’t it?” Warper snapped, interrupting Logan’s sentence.

“Jan,” Sparkplug warned softly, but Warper waved him off.

“You probably think we’re all monsters or- or traitors! Well here’s an answer for you:  _ we’re not _ . We’re just people who got tired of the Academy using us for their own needs and decided that we should start thinking for ourselves instead of the Academy doing it for us,” Warper fumed.

“You think I don’t know that?! Why do you think I’m here?! The second I began doubting the Academy, they sent me and my team on a dangerous mission. Then I realized the rogues we encountered in that mission had some good points, and I knew I had to try and figure out how I really felt about the Academy. And I don’t have all the pieces yet, but I’m beginning to think that maybe I  _ can’t _ trust the Academy, and my world is coming down around my ears at that realization! And- and now I’m what, supposed to go  _ rogue _ because of some illogical fear without seeing things from all sides?! Because that is why I’m here, Warper. I told you, I’m looking for  _ answers _ ,” Logan shot back. Warper looked taken aback for a moment, until they disappeared in a flurry of golden sparks. He reappeared next to Logan, and they crouched down beside him.

“Then I suppose I will help you see one perspective: mine. My name is Janus, and at one point in my life, I was the Academy’s finest agent. And I think I was in love with Agent Patton Carter.”


	9. Pasts Revealed, Future Set in Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -talk of a corrupt government-like system  
> -violence mention  
> -talk of a near death experience  
> -teasing/banter  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -conflicting emotions

Janus wasn’t entirely certain why he was opening up to an Academy agent, of all people. But they had been holding in that declaration for about twenty years now, so it was bound to come out in some way or another. Who knew all it took was a kid mentioning Patton and claiming him as his father figure for Janus to finally admit it? Janus resisted the urge to smile- of  _ course _ Patton would take in some hapless kid, and Janus’s heart twinged at the fact that they had done something similar. Despite everything, despite the fact that they were on different sides- they still thought alike. But Janus didn’t have time to think about that. He had a story to tell.

“I used to be like you, convinced that the Academy was doing the right thing. I followed orders, was part of an efficient task force with Patton, Remus, and our leader- but it wasn’t until one mission went south that I started having doubts,” Janus explained. The agent- Logan, looked startled.

“That sounds… eerily similar to my predicament,” Logan said, suspicion in his tone. Janus resisted the urge to roll his eyes… the kid was stubborn in his devotion to the Academy. Well, unfortunately for him, Janus was stubborn too.

“Let me tell my story, and then maybe we can compare notes. Anyway, the mission was supposed to be routine- investigate a business that had supposedly been using its profits for malicious intent. But Remus and I discovered the truth when our task force leader had us split into two teams to search the building. The only ‘malicious intent’ the business had was that they weren’t giving money to the Academy. Turns out, the Academy had been harassing various profitable companies for years to get them to support the Academy’s cause. And sure, the Academy may have started out with the intention to help people, but they’ve devolved into wanting to control the city, the world! They put supers on a pedestal, while civilians are being hurt,” Janus explained. Logan blinked in surprise, taking in all that Janus had told him. He didn’t meet Janus’s gaze for a moment or two, and when he looked to Janus again, there was pain and realization in his expression.

“What happened? During the rest of your mission?” he asked softly. Janus grimaced slightly, took a deep breath, and continued his story.

“Like the fool I was, I reported it to my task force leader. I was confused, and thought it had been some sort of mistake, a bug in the system we had broken into. When she heard what I said, she reported it to her superiors…” Janus’s breath caught at the painful memories.

“Janus?” Logan asked softly, and Janus realized with a start that it was the first time he had referred to them with their name.

“The Academy ordered her to silence me, by any means necessary. And she took that order gladly, despite the fact that I had served under her for years and that I had looked up to her. She had the ability to manipulate metal, and I would have made a very grotesque pincushion had Patton not stepped in to save me. He didn’t even know what was going on, he just saw me in trouble and didn’t even stop to think that  _ I _ could have been deserving of my fate. With our leader distracted by Patton, Remus was able to take her down. And when Patton asked me what happened- I panicked, and did the only thing I could think of- lie,” Janus continued. Logan’s eyes lit up with recognition.

“Wait, this sounds familiar… Agent Aria Vanders had been your task force leader, hadn’t she?” Logan asked. Janus blinked in surprise.

“I- yes, but how did you know?” they asked.

“Because she’s become a bit of a tall tale among the Academy agents- she’s been portrayed as the first rogue super,” Logan explained. Janus was dumbfounded for a moment or two, unable to formulate a reply.

“Holy shit, they took your story and ran with it, Jan!” Remus crowed. Janus sent a half-hearted glare towards Remus, then turned back to Logan with a sigh.

“I told Patton that I had merely reported that I hadn’t found anything, and that she took it as noncompliance with Academy’s rules. Patton believed me, and Remus backed me up- so it was three against one, and Agent Vanders was imprisoned for brutality against her teammates,” Janus explained.

“I’m afraid that the Academy has made it out to be more than that- that she lied to her superiors so that she could start taking down Academy agents from the inside without being suspicious,” Logan said, and Janus grimaced and shook their head. Leave it to the Academy to twist the story until it was unrecognizable- although it was Janus that had started that. He was the one who had lied about why Agent Vanders had attacked him… but that was all in the past now.

“After that mission, I realized I had to get out. Remus agreed with me, and I tried to convince Patton to leave too- but he didn’t take too kindly to the fact that I had lied to him about our leader,” Janus said, and he continued telling Logan about how it was just him and Remus on the run, determined to take down the Academy. He told the story of how they had found Virgil, a boy labeled as a weapon. Remus chimed in and told him about how the Academy had taken Roman from him, and how they had managed to find his twin again. Roman and Remy told the story of their little family, and Logan listened with wide eyes and dawning understanding.

“These past few days… I’ve been plagued with nightmare visions, but it doesn’t compare to the nightmare your lives have been. And I know this doesn’t magically solve anything, but for what it’s worth- I’m sorry,” Logan said after they had all finished their stories. Janus let a small smile grow on his face, and he reached up to undo the ropes binding Logan’s wrists. Logan flinched in surprise, blue eyes wide behind his glasses.

“Relax, I’m just going to untie you. I don’t think you’re going to hurt us- in fact, I don’t think that was ever your intention,” Janus said softly, and Logan relaxed. Once his wrists were free, he brought them down slowly, gingerly rubbing the feeling back into them.

“Does it hurt? I can help!” Emile’s voice chirped, and he bolted over to Logan before Roman or Remy could stop him. Virgil managed to catch Emile’s arm before he flung himself at Logan. Janus chuckled fondly, and he was pleasantly surprised to hear Logan laugh as well.

“I’m fine, thank you Doctor,” Logan said. Janus stood up and offered his hand to Logan, who took it with a mildly surprised expression and let them help him up.

“Mami! Does this mean Starboy is my cousin now too?” Emile asked. Logan’s nose wrinkled in distaste at the codename.

“Please, just call me Logan,” he said.

“Oh, okay then. It’s just that you used my codename, so I thought I had to use yours,” Emile replied with a shrug.

“Starboy is  _ not _ my-”

“Listen, I got stuck with ‘Shadowling’ as my codename because Janus and Remus thought it was cute and endearing to call me that. You can deal with Starboy being yours,” Virgil huffed. Logan scowled slightly, and a mischievous grin came over Remus’s face that from Janus’s experience meant trouble.

“So… does this mean you called Logan ‘Starboy’ because it’s cute and endearing?” Remus teased. Both Logan and Virgil flushed bright red, and Janus couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. About time that Remus's teasing about people’s love lives turned to someone else besides Janus.

“No! His energy blasts made me think of shooting stars, you menace!” Virgil spluttered.

“That is a surprisingly apt description, I have analyzed my energy blasts before and have discovered that their composition is similar to that of starlight,” Logan added, although he still seemed relatively flustered. Remus groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Great, Virgil’s boyfriend is a nerd,” Remus huffed. Logan looked like he was about ready to combust on the spot, and Virgil didn’t seem to be faring much better.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Virgil squawked. There was silence for a moment or two, and Emile’s gaze traveled over the people around him.

“So… does this mean Logan’s my cousin- _ in-law _ , Mami?” Emile asked. Virgil audibly squeaked at Emile’s question, and quickly covered his mouth with an embarrassed expression. Remy laughed, shaking her head.

“Logan doesn’t have to be anyone’s  _ anything _ , mijo. But he’s welcome to stay with us if he’d like,” Remy replied, looking at Logan.

“You’d- you’d let me stay with you? After everything I’ve done?” Logan asked, voice fragile.

“To be fair, I think we’ve done more to you than you have to us,” Virgil replied with a mildly guilty expression. Logan considered this with a frown.

“I- all right then. I suppose, if it’s not too much trouble, that I will stay with you for now,” Logan said after a moment or two.

“Yay! C’mon, I’ll show you around!” Emile exclaimed, grabbing Logan’s hand and beginning to tug him deeper into the subway tunnels, towards where their subway car home was.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Virgil said with a sigh, following after the pair. Janus watched them leave with a small, mildly worried smile. Everything had changed drastically once again, and it had only been a few days. He wasn’t sure how he felt about Logan being part of their family- but then again, he had thought the same thing about the Picani-Sanders. And Virgil deserved to have someone his age to talk to, regardless of whether their relationship was romantic or not. So Janus put aside his gut instinct to distrust everyone who didn’t give them a good reason to trust them, and followed the youngest members of their family.

* * *

Logan still couldn’t figure out how he had gotten to where he was. A child who he had previously thought was some mysterious rogue had dragged him into a clubhouse of sorts, and the individual he had once thought of as a sworn enemy was reading a storybook to both of them. The three of them were sat on a pile of pillows, Virgil in the middle with Emile and Logan on either side of him. Emile was slowly dozing off, and Virgil seemed perfectly content with Logan practically pressed up against him. Virgil closed the book when he realized Emile had fallen asleep, and he grabbed a blanket to cover Emile with.

“Can I ask you a question?” Virgil asked quietly, once he had tucked Emile in.

“You’ve just done so, but I don’t see the harm in you asking another one,” Logan replied with a small smile. Virgil chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

“Fair enough. Anyway, what’s with the hair? I thought the Academy would have stuffy regulations about it,” Virgil asked. Logan’s hand flew to his head, where his hair was still up in a bun- Academy regulations, after all. He sighed, and carefully undid his bun, as it was falling apart anyhow. His hair fell to his shoulders, and while Logan was sure his hair was a frazzled mess, Virgil was looking at him with a mixture of what seemed to be shock and awe- or perhaps his expression meant something else. Regardless, Logan’s face flushed slightly at the attention.

“I grew it out for my best friend. She had long hair, and wanted it short but was nervous about doing so because of Academy regulations. Therefore I took it upon myself to go to the Council and request that I be permitted to grow my hair out, because if I could grow mine longer, then surely Mis- my friend could have hers short,” Logan explained, his throat growing tight at the thought of Missy. Was he just supposed to leave her behind now? And what about Pascal, or Patton? They were important to him too, could he really just abandon them? He certainly couldn’t go back to the Academy, not with everything he’d seen. He just wished he had the chance to explain himself to them, maybe even get them to leave too.

“Sounds like you were a bit of a rogue even then,” Virgil said with a small smile.  Logan couldn’t help but return the smile, despite the confusing swirl of emotions he felt.

A soft knock at the door of Emile’s hideaway startled Logan and Virgil out of their moment. Logan practically jumped away from Virgil, like he was a nervous teenager whose parent walked in on them with their significant other. Emile stirred slightly at the movement, but fortunately stayed asleep. The door opened, and the Rogue Knight- or rather, Roman- peeked his head in.

“Hey- oh good, Emile’s asleep already. We’d all be a little crammed in the subway car, so I hope I can trust you two to sleep here,” Roman whispered with a wink. Logan felt his face heat up, and while he didn’t turn to look at Virgil, Logan was sure he was blushing too.

“Mr. Sanders-”

“Please, feel free to call me Uncle Roman, or Roman if that’s more comfortable for you,” he insisted, interrupting Logan’s sentence.

“Erm- right. We’ll be fine, Roman,” Logan replied semi-awkwardly. Roman smiled, and with a soft goodnight to all of them, he left. Logan turned to Virgil, and was mildly surprised to see him holding out a blanket towards him- no, that wasn’t what surprised Logan. It was the soft expression on Virgil’s face that did. Shadowling was supposed to be this terrifying rogue, Logan had been committed to hunting him down at one point. And yet here he was, cheeks dusted with pink and pitch-black eyes that were like shimmering pools of the night sky, just without stars- and that made him all the more mystifying and enchanting.

“Here, take this,” Virgil murmured, startling Logan out of his thoughts. Had he really just gotten so distracted while looking at Virgil?

“Oh- thank you,” Logan replied, taking the blanket from Virgil and settling down into the pillows. Virgil grabbed his own blankets and nestled into the pillows as well, and with one last, long look at how Virgil’s hair splayed out like a halo on the pillows, Logan let his eyes slip shut.


	10. Rude Awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -shouting  
> -talk of a corrupt government-like organization  
> -violence  
> -injury  
> -near suffocation  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -crying  
> -character getting stung by something venomous  
> -unconcsciousness

Logan blinked awake slowly, not entirely sure of where he was. He felt warm and cozy, with a decent amount of that warmth coming from something pressed up against him. He instinctively curled closer to that warmth, until he saw the black and purple fabric he was clinging to. Virgil’s hoodie- and worse yet, Virgil’s hoodie with Virgil still  _ inside _ it. Logan’s face flamed bright red, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief when he noticed Virgil was still asleep. However, when he tried to disentangle himself from the sleeping rogue’s grip, Virgil let out a sleepy sound of protest and clung to Logan tighter.

A giggle sounded from across the room, and Logan looked up to see Emile with his hands clasped over his mouth and a smile sparkling in his eyes. Logan made a motion for Emile to be quiet, but that only caused the boy to giggle again. Virgil made a (rather adorable) irritated grumbling sound, and his eyes fluttered open with a yawn. He blinked the sleep from his eyes for a moment or two, and then his gaze focused on Logan. Virgil yelped, scrambling away from Logan in an instant and blushing fiercely.

“I’m telling my Dad!” Emile giggled, and bolted out of the small room. Virgil scowled, jumping to his feet and following after Emile.

“Oh no you don’t! If you tell your Dad, he’ll tell Uncle Remus and I will  _ never _ hear the end of it!” Virgil shouted as he ran off, and Logan let out a small laugh. Since he was awake and didn’t really want to be alone in new territory, Logan decided to get up and follow after Virgil and Emile. 

However, he hadn’t even made it to the door when he heard shouting and scuffling outside. And the shouting wasn’t in the playful tone Virgil had adopted earlier. Instead, the shouts seemed panicked and… familiar?

“Leave the kid alone, Shadowling!” a voice shouted, the sound so heart-wrenchingly familiar.  _ Missy _ . Logan had seen her just yesterday, but it already felt like ages had passed. Logan threw open the door of the old ticket booth turned clubhouse, and saw Missy standing across from Virgil, glaring him down venomously with her wings flared out. Virgil stood in front of Emile protectively, a scowl curling his lips.

“Missy?! How did you- what are you doing here?!” Logan gasped. Missy’s gaze snapped over to Logan, and her shoulders sagged in relief.

“Logan! Oh thank goodness- don’t worry, we’ll get you out of here soon,” Missy said, turning to glare at Virgil.

“Missy, wait-” Logan started, but was completely ignored by Missy.

“Patton, Pascal, I found Logan! Converge on my signal if you can, we’re in the old subway tunnels,” she said into her communicator, and Logan’s stomach decided to do an impromptu gymnastics routine. He had been hoping to talk some sense into Missy before she called for backup, or at least explain what he had been through, but it looked like things were about to become more complicated.

“Missy, listen to me! The rogues aren’t like what we’ve been told! They’re just people, Missy. People who felt oppressed by the Academy,” Logan explained, stepping closer to her with his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Logan, what are you talking about? The Academy is trying to help people, and rogues are hurting people!” Missy protested, her gaze darting between Logan and Virgil. Logan gave Virgil a pleading look, trying to convey that he wanted a chance to talk to Missy. Virgil seemed to understand, giving Logan a curt nod and backing up slightly.

“Remember when you were afraid to cut your hair because of the Academy regulations? Even then, you knew that the Academy wanted nothing more than to control everyone, even its own supers,” Logan said, taking another step.

“I- Logan, that’s- I was just anxious about asking them! That’s totally different from what you’re implying!” Missy exclaimed, hazel eyes wide with surprise at Logan’s words.

“But it’s true! The Academy may have wanted to help people once, but now they’ve become controlling and power-hungry. I’ve seen both sides to it now- and sure, the rogues can be needlessly violent, but they have good reason to be. The Academy has torn apart families, relationships, and has bullied a whole city into submission- I’ve heard the stories myself and seen it first hand!” Logan continued. Missy looked conflicted, eyes tearing up as her mouth opened and closed uselessly. That is, until she saw something over Logan’s shoulder, and her expression lit up. Before Logan was able to turn around, he heard shouting from Virgil and-  _ Pascal _ .

Logan whirled around and saw Pascal, fire licking up their arms and legs as they advanced on Virgil. Virgil muttered something to Emile, and the boy ran off and ducked behind a beam holding up the subway tunnel. Pascal leapt at Virgil in a blind rage, and Virgil easily sidestepped the attack. Pascal stumbled slightly but managed to maintain their footing and swung at Virgil. He ducked and instinctively grabbed their arm, only to cry out in pain as the flames on their arm burned his hand. He let go of them in an instant, cradling his burned hand. Pascal took the opening and kicked Virgil in the chest, knocking him down to the ground.

“Virgil!” Logan cried out, starting to rush forward, but was stopped by strong hands grabbing his arms. Logan looked over his shoulder to see Patton staring down at him, concern etched in his features.

“You… you seem awfully chummy with Shadowling. He made you see your worst fears, remember?” Patton said slowly, as if he were trying to explain a complicated subject to a child. Logan gritted his teeth together.

“He also helped me realize my subconscious fear of the Academy, as well as help me see that my fear was justified! Patton, the Academy is hurting people, I’ve seen what it’s done to-”

“I’m afraid I’ve tried that song and dance with him before, Starboy. If he didn’t get the point then, why would he now?” a voice growled. Logan’s gaze snapped over to see Janus standing a few feet in front of them. Roman, Remy, and Remus had come out too- Roman and Remy stood in front of Emile and Virgil while Emile healed Virgil’s hand, and Remus stood beside Janus, green electricity crackling over his hands. Pascal was staring down Roman and Remy, while Missy’s gaze was focused on Remus. And Patton… Patton seemed to be in shock. Logan swore he saw several emotions flit through his eyes- pain, anger, heartbreak and lastly, the one that sent a shock of terror through Logan… grim determination.

“I don’t know what you’ve said to him, Warper, or what you had Shadowling do to him… but I’m taking Logan home, where he’ll be safe,” Patton said firmly.

“Patton, please-” Logan started, but his sentence was cut off with a shout of surprise when Patton quickly maneuvered Logan into what could be seen as a one-armed hug- except for that Patton was sure to pin Logan’s arms to his sides and hold him tightly against his chest so that he couldn’t escape. With one arm free, Patton activated his communicator.

“This is Agent Carter, calling for backup. We found a group of five rogues and a child super with healing powers. We were able to trace Agent Thorne’s location through his communicator, it was difficult to find as he was in the old subway tunnels. Agent Thorne has also been compromised- his perception of the world seems to have been warped somehow,” Patton said. Logan heard a garbled reply from the communicator, although he couldn’t quite make out the response. But he could make a reasonable deduction: more Academy agents were on their way.

“Please Patton, listen to me! You’re making a mistake!” Logan pleaded, squirming in Patton’s grip. Patton responded by holding him tighter- so tight that Logan saw spots and struggled to catch his breath.

“Patton-” Missy started, glancing nervously between the rogues, Patton, and Logan.

“He- he isn’t himself. I don’t know what they did to him, but I’m sure the Academy will be able to figure it out,” Patton said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than Missy. 

“But you’re hurting him!” she cried, and it was then Patton noticed that his powerful grip was causing Logan to barely be able to take a breath.

“Oh kiddo, I’m so sorry! But I can’t let you do anything you’ll regret later,” Patton said, loosening his grip on Logan slightly. Logan slumped into Patton a bit, gasping for air.

“The only thing I regret is not leaving the Academy sooner,” Logan said after he had managed to catch his breath. He let starlight burst from his palms, and it caused Patton (and therefore Logan) to lose his balance and topple over. Logan was able to scramble out of Patton’s grip and to his feet, blue energy dancing in his eyes and along his fingertips.

Unfortunately, the moment Logan broke free from Patton, chaos erupted in the old subway tunnel. Remus lunged at Missy, who managed to stay out of reach with a powerful flap of her wings. Roman and Remy tried to fend off Pascal, but the fire blazing over their form made it hard for either human rogue to get close. Janus teleported to Logan, grabbed him, and teleported him to Virgil and Emile. Then with a pleading but stern look that said “stay put,” Janus disappeared in a flurry of sparks to face off against Patton. Logan watched the two of them with a strange tightness in his chest- it was like some sort of practiced dance between them. Patton would swing at Janus, only for them to teleport to his other side. Again and again Patton would try and attack Janus, but the rogue super always teleported just out of reach. Janus seemed to be more golden sparks than human form, and with a jolt Logan realized that Janus wasn’t even  _ trying _ to fight Patton. It was almost like he couldn’t- or wouldn’t- harm him. Logan noticed that Patton seemed to be holding back as well… he wasn’t usually fast, per se, but he definitely was more agile than his current actions were portraying.

Then  _ more _ Academy agents arrived. Logan estimated that there were at least two other task forces that arrived, individuals that he vaguely recognized and some that he didn’t. The rogues were overwhelmed in an instant. Roman was facing off against an agent whose arms had shapeshifted into pointed metal poles, much like jousting lances or spears. Remy was a blur of motion, her daggers flashing as she tried to stab and slash at an elasticity super who always managed to stay out of reach. Meanwhile, Pascal sent plumes of fire at Roman and Remy, and while they managed to evade most of their attacks, Logan knew that they couldn’t keep it up forever. Remus was doing his best to hold his own against an agent that looked like they were carved from stone, as well as another agent who flickered in and out of existence. Missy hovered above Remus, sometimes managing to swoop in and land a blow, but still was not able to get close due to Remus’s electric blasts. Patton and Janus were still locked in combat, but Logan could tell Janus was running out of steam from how much they had been teleporting. And the rest of the Academy agents…

The rest had surrounded Logan, Virgil, and Emile. There was an agent with water circling lazily around their form, another with a tail lashing angrily behind them, one with shadows creeping along their form, and the last one who seemed normal-looking, but Logan knew better than to judge by appearances. Virgil was back on his feet again, although he did look mildly shaky and pale. Emile was trembling and holding onto Virgil’s pant leg, and that alone made anger flare up within Logan as he stood up, his back to Virgil so that Emile was in between them. One of the agents before him, the one who had water flowing around them, sneered at the three of them.

“So Agent Thorne really  _ has _ gone rogue,” they scoffed.

“If by ‘going rogue’ you mean ‘coming to my senses,’ then yes, I have,” Logan shot back, starlight burning in his palms. The normal-seeming agent raised their eyebrow, looking to Logan skeptically. He felt a sudden, strange itching sensation in the back of his skull, like some creature had crawled in and begun digging through his thoughts. Logan let out a startled gasp, the starlight in his hands flickering as he pitched forward slightly, trembling.

“Starboy? What’s going on?” Virgil asked, concern laced in his tone.

“Starboy, eh? Well then, Starboy, it looks like Shadowling’s done quite a number on you… but we can fix that,” the normal-seeming agent said with morbid delight. Their gaze focused on Logan, and he felt the itching sensation in his head increase- it was more like something was trying to tear his memories apart instead of poking and prodding at them. He heard a thud, and belatedly realized that the sound had come from his knees hitting the ground. Logan also realized that his hands were gripping at his hair, and that tears of pain had gathered in his eyes. He glared up at the normal- no,  _ telepathic _ agent.

“Get out of my head!” Logan shouted, his voice a near scream. He felt a small hand on his back- Emile’s- until he was suddenly torn away. Logan glanced back and saw that the agent with shadows curling around them had grabbed Emile, and distantly heard Roman shouting- until the sound was cut off unexpectedly. He turned his head to try and see what happened, but instead saw Virgil trying to fend off the hydrokinetic agent and the agent with a tail. Virgil locked gazes with Logan for a brief moment- and that moment was all it took for the latter agent to rear their tail back and jab it into Virgil’s side. With dawning horror, Logan realized that the tip of the agent’s tail was like a scorpion’s stinger, and the ashen pallor to Virgil’s face confirmed that the tail’s effects were indeed similar to that of a scorpion. The agent yanked their tail out, and Virgil crumpled to the ground. He opened his mouth- to scream, to plead, to say  _ something _ \- but then it felt like a stake had been driven through his skull and all that came out was a guttural cry of pain.

“Stop resisting me, Logan. Just give in,” the telepathic agent snarled. Logan’s gaze snapped to meet theirs, and with another forceful push of mental power from the agent, Logan sank into blissful darkness.


	11. If Dreams are Fantasy, Nightmares are Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -potentially non-con kissing  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -feeling like something's wrong but not being able to place what it is  
> -mild amnesia  
> -character in restraints  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -reverse x-men elitist thinking (in other words, supers believing they're better than humans bc they have powers)  
> -insults  
> -referring to a person like an object  
> -torture  
> -screaming

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting the room in a warm, buttery glow. Logan let out a pleased hum, nestling into the bedsheets and into the form pressed up against his back. A hand that had previously been tracing nonsense patterns on Logan’s arm reached up to brush his hair back so that soft lips could press to his temple. Logan let out a small sigh of delight, and shifted to gaze into warm brown eyes that were lovingly gazing down at him.

“Morning, starshine,” Virgil said, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. For a brief moment, a cold pit settled in Logan’s stomach. Something felt wrong… no, he was being ridiculous. He just couldn’t believe how lucky he was, to wake up beside the love of his life- that was all.

“Good morning- I’m surprised you’re awake before I am,” Logan teased, leaning up to steal a quick kiss. The movement felt foriegn- not wrong, necessarily, but just… off. Even though Logan was certain he had done this many mornings before. Virgil seemed to pick up on Logan’s slight inner turmoil, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, voice soft with concern. Logan blinked, shaking himself slightly in an attempt to dispel the disconcerting feelings.

“Yes, I think I’m just not fully awake yet,” Logan said with a fond chuckle. Virgil let out a laugh of his own, and with one last kiss to Logan’s forehead, he clambered out of their bed.

“Well then, I’d better get some coffee going so we can get that beautiful brain of yours up and at ‘em,” Virgil replied with a grin. Logan blushed at his boyfriend’s words, and begrudgingly got out of bed to follow him.

“Remember, my Dad and Patton are coming to check up on us later today- honestly Dad can be such a mother hen sometimes,” Virgil said once they had reached the kitchen, and Logan frowned in confusion. Virgil’s… dad? Visions of an individual with mismatched eyes and golden sparks surrounding them suddenly flooded Logan’s thoughts, and as soon as the images appeared, they vanished.

“I- what?” Logan asked, more to himself than to Virgil.

“I know, right? Like, I know we’re a little young to be getting an apartment together, but my Dad doesn’t have to get all weird about it. After all, him and Patton aren’t much better,” Virgil replied with a good-natured laugh. Logan saw flashes of Patton and the individual from before- they were fighting? That didn’t seem right, Patton had been Logan’s mentor in the sciences and astronomy for years, why was Logan seeing him fighting someone? And why couldn’t Logan remember who that someone was, except for that they were Virgil’s dad?

“Right,” Logan settled on, trying to brush off the strange false memories.

“Oh! And we have Missy and Pascal’s engagement party to go to tonight, honestly it’s about  _ time _ those two finally admit that they’re meant to be,” Virgil continued, seemingly not noticing Logan’s bewilderment. Yet again, Logan’s vision was flooded with images of things that seemed so foriegn yet so familiar to him- a winged girl getting her hair cut short for the first time, and a dark-skinned individual with fire in their eyes playfully teasing Logan.

“Something’s wrong,” Logan said, voice mildly choked off. Virgil froze in his movements, setting down the coffee mugs and turning to face Logan.

“Logan, is this about moving in together? It was your idea, and it’s a little late to go back now-”

“No! I- that’s not it. I want to live with you Virgil, I just- I’m getting these strange flashes of memory that seem so far-fetched yet undeniably real,” Logan said, his blue eyes meeting Virgil’s concerned brown- wait. Brown eyes? That didn’t feel right-

_ Shadowling was supposed to be this terrifying rogue, Logan had been committed to hunting him down at one point. And yet here he was, cheeks dusted with pink and  _ pitch black _ eyes that were like shimmering pools of the night sky, just without stars- and that made him all the more mystifying and enchanting. _

Logan gasped, stumbling backwards from the onslaught of the sudden memory. Virgil- no,  _ Dream-Virgil _ looked at him with a perplexed expression. Something was  _ very _ wrong. The Virgil that stood before him- he wasn’t  _ Logan’s _ Virgil. Although Logan wasn’t even sure if he could really call the real Virgil “his,” Logan was still having trouble remembering who the real Virgil was to him, or why he called him “Shadowling.” But one thing he did know for sure: this Virgil in front of him wasn’t the real deal.

“None of this is real, is it?” Logan asked shakily. Dream-Virgil frowned.

“Starshine, you’re scaring me,” he replied, voice low and eyes wide with concern. 

_ “Whoa there, Starboy- you almost hit me! And we were getting along so well!” _

Logan jerked back from yet another unbidden memory. Virgil- he had been chasing Virgil? But why? And the real Virgil didn’t call him “starshine,” he had called him Starboy… was it similar to why Logan called him Shadowling? Wait… it hadn’t been Logan that had initially called Virgil “Shadowling,” it had been-

_ “Listen, I got stuck with ‘Shadowling’ as my codename because Janus and Remus thought it was cute and endearing to call me that. You can deal with Starboy being yours.” _

“You- we- we’re supposed to be supers, rogues! You’re Shadowling, and I’m Starboy… at least- at least I think so… everything feels so fuzzy and strange…” Logan rambled, bringing his hands up to massage his temples. Dream-Virgil’s mask of a concerned expression fell, and he regarded Logan with a flat stare.

“I thought I told you to stop resisting me,” he said, but it wasn’t Virgil’s voice… it was someone else’s. Someone familiar… 

_ “Starboy, eh? Well then, Starboy, it looks like Shadowling’s done quite a number on you… but we can fix that.” _

“You’re the telepath! From- from… before? Why can’t I remember- but you’re bad, or I don’t like you, or something!” Logan exclaimed, frustrated with his frazzled memories. Why could he only remember some things, but not all? Dream-Virgil scowled, his form glitching out and becoming that of the telepath- broad shoulders, brown hair that had shorter bangs and was lighter than Virgil’s, and the brown eyes that had given the Dream-Virgil away- until he glitched back into Virgil’s form. The world around them was glitching as well, the kitchen fading in and out of existence.

“You  _ are _ a stubborn one, aren’t you? I can see my typical methods aren’t going to work,” Dream-Virgil hummed, and with a snap of his fingers- everything vanished into darkness.

* * *

Logan woke up. For real, this time. Or at least, he hoped he was really awake. And judging by the fact that his wrists and ankles were strapped down with power-restraining cuffs to a medical table of some sort, Logan had indeed woken up in the cold, harsh reality of the world. No warm sunlight, no loving boyfriend curled up next to him- just blinding white industrial lights and the telepathic agent looming over him. Logan’s memories were still trying to catch up with him, but he felt rather mortified at the fact that he had so willingly believed that being romantically involved with Virgil was  _ normal _ , when the two of them had barely been friends when Logan had last seen him. That wasn’t saying that Logan wasn’t at least somewhat interested in such a relationship with Virgil… but he was embarrassed nonetheless.

“Why- why did you make me see that? What  _ was _ that?!” Logan demanded, fidgeting against his restraints slightly. The telepath rolled their eyes and sighed.

“What was it that Shadowling had said to you while I was filtering through your memories? Oh- that’s right… ‘I didn’t make you see anything that wasn’t already in your own head.’ Although I’ll admit I added some embellishments here and there to make it a cohesive plotline,” the agent replied with a shrug.

“I- what?!” Logan spluttered, face burning red. The agent rolled their eyes.

“Oh come  _ on _ ! You definitely have a thing for Shadowling, there were so many repressed fantasies about his dark eyes- not to mention that you’re sick of your best friends hopelessly pining over each other and refusing to admit those feelings… and then you want Patton to be happy- even if his happiness comes with that damned rogue, Warper,” the agent explained with a scowl. Logan blinked in surprise.

“I- I mean, I guess some of that makes sense… but- but I don’t  _ fantasize  _ about Virgil’s eyes,” Logan protested. The telepathic agent let out a dramatic groan.

“Stubborn  _ and _ refusing to acknowledge your own feelings- I’ve really got my work cut out for me this time,” they huffed.

“I- what are you trying to-  _ who _ are you?!” Logan asked, a note of fear creeping into his tone. He hadn’t really seen this particular agent around much before, but something about them… there was something familiar, something dangerous about them.

“Well… I suppose I can tell you, seeing as you won’t remember much of this encounter,” the agent said with a shrug. Logan’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Won’t remember- what are you-”

“Don’t interrupt. I am Agent Cassian Dice, and I am the man behind  _ everything _ at the Academy,” he said with a smug grin. Logan blinked in surprise, but held his tongue- Agent Dice had told him not to interrupt, and Logan was curious anyhow.

“Seriously? I give you the perfect moment to gasp in horror or demand further explanation, and you don’t take it?!” he asked in a near scandalized tone.

“But you told me-”

“Nevermind that! Anyway, as I was saying, I am behind  _ everything _ at the Academy- I was practically here since its creation! My parents were part of the original council, back when they had those  _ ridiculous _ dreams of ‘helping others’ and ‘bettering humanity.’ But why should us supers care? We  _ aren’t _ human, not really! It makes more sense for us to be on top- survival of the fittest, and all that,” Agent Dice continued. Cold dread mixed with confusion in the pit of Logan’s stomach. He didn’t have the full picture quite yet, but based on Agent Dice’s abilities and apparent elitist motivations… he could see where this was going.

“But you’re  _ hurting _ the very supers you claim are so much better than civilians!” Logan protested. Agent Dice rolled his eyes.

“I do what I must to keep them in line- and besides, not  _ all _ supers are fit to be part of the Academy. I only want the strongest and most loyal here! And if someone’s got lame powers or if they aren’t loyal to the cause… then who cares what happens to them?” he said flippantly. Logan gritted his teeth together and tried to maintain a neutral expression.

“What are you doing to ‘keep them in line,’ exactly? Because whatever you’re doing clearly isn’t working- there’s several sects of rogues all over the city,” Logan shot back, his tone even and controlled. Agent Dice’s expression twisted into a scowl, and he let out a harsh laugh.

“Oh come now, Logan. You’re clever- I’ve been in your head, after all,” he said, taking on a condescending tone. Logan huffed out a breath through his nose.

“Your telepathic abilities allow you to dig into people’s memories and alter them, don’t they?” Logan asked dryly. A grin split the telepath’s face, and an involuntary shiver passed through Logan.

“No need to be so dramatic! I'm just fixing the narrative- real life can be so messy, after all. The story is  _ much  _ clearer this way,” Agent Dice said in a cheerful tone that was almost nauseating to hear.

“And what story is that? One where people are hurt and are suppressed by your influence?” Logan shot back.

“No- my story is one where supers are treated with the respect and fear that they deserve. And speaking of fear… now that I  _ finally _ have my little weapon back, completing that story will be so much easier,” Agent Dice replied with a dreamy sigh. Logan’s blood ran cold. What was it that Janus had said about how they had found Virgil? That Remus and Janus had been expecting to find a  _ weapon _ instead of a young boy… which meant that Agent Cassian Dice had been behind Virgil’s imprisonment in the first place.

“You- you can’t! Virgil would never join your side!” Logan protested. Agent Dice threw his head back and laughed.

“Did you forget about my telepathy already? You’re better than that, Logan. Although I suppose there’s more than one way to convince someone to join one’s side…” he trailed off with a cruel grin. Logan’s eyes went wide, and the cold dread turned to burning anger.

“If you hurt him, I swear I’ll-” Logan’s sentence was cut off by Agent Dice laughing again.

“Well then, it’s a good thing that  _ you’re _ going to be doing the hurting, hmm?” he said, reaching out his hand towards Logan.

“What are you- augh!” Logan cried out, feeling like someone had jabbed several hot needles into his skull. He squirmed against his restraints, head slamming back against the medical table as he tried to evade the strange sensation of someone probing through his thoughts.

“You’re stubborn, but your mind will break eventually. Just give in, Logan. Stop resisting me,” Agent Dice demanded, though Logan couldn’t tell if he had said it out loud or in his mind. Agent Dice pushed further, and Logan couldn’t hold back the scream of pain as the stabbing sensation drove deeper into his mind. Another push, and then-

There was nothing.


	12. Guardian Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -character seeming off/unlike themself  
> -flirting  
> -teasing/banter  
> -mild embarrassment  
> -kissing  
> -fire mention  
> -violence mention

Logan was… different, after Missy and the others had rescued him. He had seemed so strangely distraught about the rogues when she had found him in the old subway tunnels, and before he had ran from the Academy, Logan always was kind in his own quiet, clever way, and was rather quick-witted. But now? Logan seemed… hollow. Like he was just some sort of pale reflection of who he was before. Patton had said that the rogues had done something to Logan’s mind, and that they had to get a telepathic agent to try and undo the damage… but Missy wasn’t sure it worked. If anything, Missy felt that whatever the agent had done had made Logan  _ worse _ . She just couldn’t quite put her finger on why.

“Missy, you seem to be lost in thought. Are you alright?” Logan asked, snapping Missy out of her thoughts. The two of them were hanging out in her quarters, sitting next to each other on her bed.

“Huh? Oh- sure, fine. Just still have a little residual worry, I guess,” she replied, playfully nudging Logan. He didn’t react to the touch very much, whereas before the incident in the old subway tunnels, Missy was sure he would have shoved her back. At least, she thought he would have. Missy was beginning to wonder if she ever really  _ knew  _ Logan.

“I am fine, Missy. Glad to be back to normal,” Logan replied. Missy frowned. Now that reaction- she knew for sure wasn’t her typical Logan. The Logan she knew would have called her a mother hen, or some similar banter. And the way he said it- “back to normal”- it wasn’t convincing to her at all. He didn’t say it with any sort of voice inflection. Sure, people (namely Pascal) liked to call Logan the “stoic Agent Thorne,” but Missy would have expected Logan to have more of a reaction. Relief, perhaps, or joy at being himself again. But this? This strange… acceptance, the way he said it so matter-of-factly… it didn’t feel right.

“Um… yeah, me too! It’s good to have you back. I think I’m gonna go log some hours in the training facility, do you wanna come with?” Missy asked, standing up from her bed and offering a hand to Logan.

“No thank you. I’m going to retire to my quarters, I should be resting,” Logan replied, refusing Missy’s hand and standing on his own. Now  _ that _ was definitely odd. Logan, admitting that he needed to rest? Maybe he had just learned his lesson and was finally growing as a person, but Missy wasn’t expecting it to happen that quickly.

“Oh- alright then. See you later?” Missy asked.

“Sure,” Logan answered, and with that, he walked out of her quarters. Missy’s wings bristled slightly. Logan had never seemed so cold or off-putting before, at least not to her. Sure, he was usually a mask of cool indifference to everyone else, but with Missy, Logan was different. They were best friends! Logan felt comfortable enough to show his true feelings when he was with her. But maybe she was reading into it too much. Logan had been through a lot in the past few days… maybe she should just give him some space.

Her mind made up, Missy walked out of her room… and almost immediately ran smack-dab into Pascal. With a surprised cry from both agents, the two of them nearly toppled over onto the floor. Luckily, Missy was able to catch herself and Pascal, her arms wrapping around their waist and wings flaring out to balance them both. Of course, in doing this, she had practically lowered Pascal into a dip, and their faces were inches apart. Missy felt her face heat up, and a mischievous smirk curled Pascal’s lips.

“Hey there, Angel,” they said, tone mildly sultry and not at all helping the blush that Missy was fairly certain had taken up her whole face.

“Don’t call me that, I could drop you, you know,” she hissed. Pascal let out a laugh, seemingly in no hurry to stand up and get out of Missy’s arms.

“We can’t let the rogues have  _ all _ the fun with codenames, can we? Angel fits you- you were my  _ guardian  _ angel when you saved me from dying from the embarrassment of falling to the cold, hard floor because I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going!” they cried dramatically, draping the back of one hand against their forehead. Missy did drop them, ignoring their yelp as she straightened to her full height and glared down at Pascal.

“Maybe your codename could be ‘liar liar, pants on fire,’” she teased. Pascal scrambled to their feet and scowled at Missy as they dusted themself off.

“I set my pants on fire ONE TIME and you never let me hear the end of it,” they huffed, though a smile was slowly worming its way onto their face.

“Nope,” Missy replied with a grin. Pascal laughed and  _ no _ Missy’s heart didn’t skip a beat at the sound, that would be ridiculous.

“I think ‘liar liar, pants on fire’ is a bit of a mouthful- I think Phoenix would suit me much better,” Pascal replied, puffing out their chest and striking a bold pose. Missy giggled- and if her eyes hadn’t squeezed shut, she would have seen an absolutely besotted smile on Pascal’s face.

“Yeah, because you rose from the ashes of your pants?” she asked between giggles. Pascal made an offended sound, their smile being replaced with a frown.

“How many times do I have to tell you that it was an  _ accident _ ?! Geez, between you and Logan, I can’t catch a break,” Pascal pouted. Missy’s smile slipped off her face as her thoughts came back to Logan.

“Hey… speaking of Logan- have you noticed anything weird about him? Since he came back, I mean,” Missy asked, wings twitching restlessly as she fidgeted with her hands. Pascal’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“What do you mean? He’s stoic and serious as ever,” Pascal replied, peering at Missy with concern.

“I- I just- I  _ know _ him, okay? He’s my best friend, and there’s something just sort of… off, about him,” Missy protested, wings fluffing up and making her seem taller. Pascal rolled their eyes, crossing their arms while trying and failing to keep an annoyed expression off their face. Missy’s wings bristled at Pascal’s expression. She couldn’t understand why they just got like  _ that _ when Logan was brought up sometimes. It was just so strange- sometimes Pascal was friendly towards Logan,  _ flirtatious _ , even. But at other times they got… oddly jealous? It made Missy’s stomach squirm uncomfortably- although she wasn’t sure why. If Pascal liked Logan, that was fine. No sense in Missy getting in their way.

“Well if you’re so close to him, why don’t you talk to him about it?” Pascal huffed. Missy scowled.

“It’s not like that! Ugh, I hate when you get like this,” Missy muttered, crossing her arms. Pascal raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean, ‘get like this,’ all I did was suggest you talk to your ‘best friend’ about it instead of bugging me!” Pascal snapped, hands gesturing frantically. Missy groaned in frustration, hands running through her hair before she spoke again.

“You’re still doing it! The way you just said ‘best friend,’ it was like you meant to put air quotes around it! Logan and I  _ are _ best friends, okay? And just because we’re best friends doesn’t mean I’m getting in the way of anything!” Missy fumed. Pascal’s expression became puzzled, and the fire in their eyes died down slightly.

“I- what are you- what do you mean, ‘getting in the way?’” Pascal asked. Missy looked at him incredulously. Pascal’s confused expression didn’t change, and Missy was beginning to feel like a bit of an idiot.

“I- don’t you like Logan? Like…  _ like _ like him?” Missy asked slowly. There was silence for a moment or two, until Pascal burst out laughing. Missy felt her face flush slightly, and not in the good way. She had the distinct feeling that she was being laughed at. That is, until Pascal started talking.

“I am the biggest moron to ever exist. This whole time- you thought I liked  _ Logan _ , oh my gosh how much of an idiot am I?!” they muttered between laughs. Missy blinked in confusion.

“So… you  _ don’t _ like Logan then?” she asked tentatively, not daring to hope. That sparked another round of giggles from Pascal, until they eventually calmed their expression.

“Missy- I like  _ you _ ,” they said, sounding bashful and mildly incredulous. Missy’s world seemed to come to a standstill. Pascal liked  _ her _ ?

“You… what?” Missy asked, still trying to put the pieces together. Pascal wasn’t jealous because of how close she was to Logan, they were jealous of how close Logan was to her!

“I didn’t exactly want to tell you like this- in fact I wasn’t sure if I was gonna tell you at all, so maybe this is better… or worse, I dunno,” Pascal rambled, and the flustered expression on their face was one that Missy just couldn’t resist. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to their cheek, and gleefully watched as their flustered expression shifted to an awestruck one.

“I think I like you too,” she replied with a cheeky grin. Pascal let out a burst of elated laughter, and immediately took Missy into their arms, lifting her up as they spun the two of them around. Missy giggled, leaning her forehead against Pascal’s as they twirled.

A sudden gasp and a thump from above broke the two of them from their reverie. Pascal set Missy down, looking up at the ceiling. Missy looked up too, just in time to see a child fall down on top of them. Missy, Pascal, and the child fell to the ground in a mess of limbs, and the child immediately tried to scramble away. Missy caught the child around the waist, and they let out a yelp.

“Let go of me! Please don’t hurt me!” the child cried, squirming in Missy’s gentle grip.

“Hey, it’s okay bud! No one’s gonna hurt you,” Missy soothed, letting go of the child. They scrambled a few feet away from Missy and Pascal, and with a jolt Missy realized that the child was the same one that had been with Shadowling.

“But you hurt my cousin! And Logan!” the child protested, green eyes flashing with a surprising amount of anger for a kid. Missy and Pascal exchanged confused glances. Cousin? Surely the kid didn’t mean  _ Shadowling _ ?

“Who is your cousin?” Pascal asked slowly.

“You should know, you burned him!” the child scowled. Missy frowned, and crouched down to the child’s level.

“Listen, I don’t know if Shadowling is actually your cousin or not, but regardless he’s  _ dangerous _ . But you’re safe now, at the Academy!” she said matter-of-factly. However, this didn’t seem to soothe the child at all.

“Virgil would never hurt me! Him, my uncles, and my Dad and Babi kept me safe, not the Academy! The Academy hurts people, Logan said so!” he protested.

“Logan wasn’t in his right mind,” Missy replied, although it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than the kid.

“And he is now?” the child asked pointedly. Missy blinked in surprise. 

“Were you listening to us talking, you little- little- vent crawler?!” Pascal demanded, although their fumbling over the insult made it less effective. Nevertheless, they vocalized what Missy had been thinking, and the child’s bashful expression confirmed their suspicions.

“I didn’t exactly mean to… but I heard you guys talking about Logan and had to figure out what happened to him!” the child said firmly, hands balling into fists at his sides.

“Listen, I don’t know how you know Logan, but he’s my best friend. He’s- he should be back to normal now,” Missy said with a tight smile. The child raised an eyebrow.

“That doesn’t sound like what you said before,” he said dubiously. Missy let out a sigh and shook her head.

“I said he  _ should _ be back to normal, but I don’t really see how it’s much of your business anyhow,” Missy huffed. The child crossed his arms, glaring up at Missy.

“Well Logan was  _ gonna _ be part of my family until you came along and ruined it,” Emile pouted. Missy let out a mildly incredulous laugh, and a surprised chuckle escaped Pascal as well.

“Look kid, Logan  _ had _ a family, here at the Academy!” she replied firmly.

“My name is Emile! And I don’t think Logan liked this place very much…  _ I _ don’t like this place very much,” he said, pout turning to more of a scowl. A determined expression came over Missy’s face.

“Well, why don’t we ask Logan ourselves. Then we can find out the answers once and for all,” Missy offered. Emile considered this for a moment or two, then nodded firmly.

“Sounds good, Miss…” Emile trailed off, a question in his eyes at he looked at Missy.

“Miss- _ y _ , actually. It’s a nickname for Melissa. And this is my- I mean this is-” she fumbled, gesturing at Pascal uselessly. 

“I’m Missy’s partner, Pascal. They/them,” they said, smiling sheepishly at Missy.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Pascal and Missy! Now let’s go talk to Logan!” Emile said with the first grin Missy had seen him make the whole time they were talking. And with that, the three of them headed off to Logan’s quarters.


	13. Scattered Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -feelings of hoplessness/dread  
> -guilt  
> -mentions of kidnapping  
> -vaguely implied injury  
> -talk of violence  
> -talk of explosions  
> -talk of committing arson  
> -teasing/banter  
> -kissing  
> -spider mention  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -mild amnesia  
> -character seeming off/not like themself

Janus watched as Roman paced back and forth anxiously, his hands wringing together nervously. Remy, on the other hand, was completely still, arms wrapped around themself and eyes not focusing on anything. Remus was sitting beside them, trying to get a response out of his sibling-in-law. Meanwhile Janus felt like he was somewhere in between Roman and Remy. Their hands couldn’t stop fiddling with their gloves, and he just felt hollow inside. Virgil, Emile, Logan- they had all been taken by the Academy. Janus’s eyes squeezed shut as the memory of Logan’s scream, the sight of Virgil collapsed on the ground, and Emile’s pleading cries came to mind, unbidden. The battle had been a blur after that- Janus still trying to fend Patton off (no matter how heartbroken it made him feel), Remy defending a downed Roman while trying to get to their son, and Remus trying to take on three agents at once. But in the end, the agents had been too much for them, and they were barely able to get away, much less save the kids. And Janus had been burning with guilt ever since.

“We have to get them back, there has to be a way to get them back! C’mon Sparkles, you know the Academy the best out of all of us, there has to be something we can do,” Roman rambled, turning to Janus with a pleading expression. Janus’s nose wrinkled slightly.

“Sparkles?” they asked with a frown.

“You sparkle when you teleport! And clever nicknames are one way I show my love… although ‘Sparkles’ isn’t my best, I’ll admit,” Roman explained with a mild pout on his face.

“I think Sparkles suits ya! Sparkles and Sparky, taking on the world and getting the kids back! With Knight and Guardian, of course,” Remus said, patting Remy’s arm with a shockingly soft smile for the electrokinetic. Remy gave a weak smile back, and a determined glint came to their eyes.

“Hold on a minute, we can’t just waltz up to the Academy and get the kids back,” Janus said, expression twisting with concern.

“And why not? I’m tired of just hiding and running from the Academy, it’s time we actually do something!” Remus protested.

“There are countless agents at the Academy, we’d be overwhelmed in seconds,” Janus pointed out, teeth gritted together.

“So? I’m ready to fight all of them if it means getting my son back,” Roman said in a near growl. Remy nodded in agreement, jaw set with bitter determination.

“And I want to get Virgil back, Logan too! Hell, we may as well take out the whole Academy while we’re there too,” Remus exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

“You don’t think I don’t want to rescue Virgil and the others too? To take down the Academy and make sure all kids are safe from being torn away from their families? Cause I want that too, but we can’t just barge in recklessly!” Janus fumed.

“So what should we do then? Sit around and wait for the Academy to come after us?” Remus shot back. Janus scowled and rolled their eyes.

“No, I’m saying we should have a plan. We should scout out the Academy’s compound, break our boys out, and run to somewhere safe. The Academy knows we’ve been hiding out in this subway tunnel, after all. Maybe we should go far away from this city, somewhere where the Academy doesn’t have as high an influence,” he said, brow furrowing in determination.

“We can’t just run from this city! The Academy’s influence will reach wherever we run to eventually,” Roman protested.

“Then how about when we rescue our kids, we blow up some Academy stuff along the way!” Remus suggested, with a near mad grin on his face and electricity dancing in his eyes. Janus let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not going to be able to change your minds, am I?” they asked dryly. 

“Nope! We’re breaking our kids out and breaking the Academy along with it,” Remy replied with an absolutely shit-eating grin.

“I thought we were like-minded, but you are just as terrible as your husband and brother-in-law,” Janus scowled. Remy laughed, and Roman and Remus joined in, making Janus feel slightly outnumbered.

“Oh come on gurl, you know you want to cause property damage to the Academy too!” Remy crooned, and Janus let out a sigh.

“Maybe a little,” he muttered. Remus jumped up from his seat, dislodging Remy slightly and grinning ear-to-ear.

“Let’s go get our kids!” he exclaimed.

“ _ After _ we do some reconnaissance,” Janus replied firmly. Remus pouted slightly in response. Remy laughed at his expression and stood up to stand beside him.

“I’m with Sparkles on this one- mi amor, can I trust you to stay here and keep out of trouble with your brother?” they asked with a raised eyebrow. Roman chuckled and gave them a lopsided grin.

“I don’t think you know me very well if you think I can be trusted alone- but for you, dear Guardian, I will try,” he said near reverently. Remus rolled his eyes, and Janus couldn’t help but smile slightly (despite the fact that Remy had called him “Sparkles”).

“Well then, are you ready to go?” Janus asked, holding out their hand to Remy. After first checking to make sure their knives were sheathed at their sides, and that their sunglasses were propped up in their hair, Remy took his hand. And with a flash of golden sparks (NOT sparkles, thank you very much), the two of them were off.

* * *

Pascal was highly suspicious of everything that was going on. First off, there was the fact that  _ Missy _ \- Agent Melissa “Missy” Laude, the badass winged nonbinary woman that had their heart-  _ actually _ liked them back. And had kissed them on the cheek. Frankly, Pascal wondered if their brain had short-circuited because everything after that didn’t make much sense. A kid dropped from the ceiling like some kind of freaky spider-child, and he claimed to be Logan’s “cousin-in-law,” whatever that meant. Now said child had demanded to speak to Logan, and Pascal got the distinct feeling that it was a very bad idea. Logan was actually doing the sensible thing for once and resting, why should they go and ruin that? But the kid was persistent, and so was Missy- and Pascal was smitten (with Missy, not the kid- don’t make this weird).

“Logan? You in there? There’s someone who wants to see you,” Missy said, after knocking on Logan’s door. The kid- Emile, stood beside her and was practically bouncing with excitement. Pascal would have found it cute if something didn’t feel so weird about the whole situation.

“Just a moment,” Logan’s voice came from the other side of the door, paired with the sound of something rustling around. Soon, the door opened to reveal Logan- looking prim and proper as ever. Seemed like he was normal to Pascal- but both Missy and Emile looked a little perplexed.

“So… this is Emile. He said he knows you?” Missy said, gesturing to the boy who seemed to be getting less and less excited the more he stood in front of Logan.

“I… I’m not sure. Is he a new recruit?” Logan asked, frowning down at Emile. The weird feeling Pascal had increased one-thousandfold. Logan, the stoic no-nonsense Academy agent,  _ not recognizing _ a kid that he had been stuck with in the clutches of Shadowling? Hell, while Emile dropping from the vent above them was a surprise to Pascal and Missy, they at least recognized him from the mission!

“Lo- Starboy, it’s me! The Doctor?” Emile tried. Pascal blinked in surprise. Surely they misheard, or this kid had a wild imagination. Because there was no way that Emile was the mysterious Doctor that had long been associated with the Rogue Knight and Guardian. But then again, Pascal had never asked what the kid’s powers were- maybe he  _ was _ the rogue healing super. Things were weird enough as it is, something like that might as well happen.

“Sorry, I’m afraid I’ve never met you- and it’s Logan. Agent Logan Thorne,” he replied firmly, and the heartbroken expression on Emile’s face created a yawning pit in Pascal’s stomach.

“But- but- you don’t remember me? But I healed you, when Uncle- when Sparkplug and the Rogue Knight brought you home! And I showed you my favorite place- and- and Virg- Shadowling read us stories, remember?” Emile pleaded, looking like he was ready to cry, and that was the only thing keeping Pascal from blurting out in laughter at the thought of  _ Shadowling _ reading stories to anyone.

“Shadowling… read you stories?” Missy asked slowly. Emile whirled to face her with a near-frightening amount of anger for a child.

“He did! You all think he’s bad, but he isn’t! Sure he’s got spooky black eyes, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone! He’s a good storyteller- don’t tell my Dad I said that- and he’s funny and cares about people! Besides, he’s family! Babi said so,” Emile protested, crossing his arms over his chest. Pascal’s brow furrowed in confusion. Had the rogues messed with Emile’s head, like they had with Logan’s? A concerned glance to Missy confirmed that she was thinking the same thing.

“Listen- Emile, right? I’ll admit that the memories of my capture and subsequent rescue are a bit fuzzy, but that’s because Shadowling  _ had _ hurt me, made me think things that weren’t true. I’m willing to bet that he did the same thing to you. But luckily I had a telepath friend to help me see the light again, so to speak. I’m sure he would help you too, and then maybe we could truly be friends,” Logan said, crouching down to Emile’s height. Something in what Logan said- it sent chills down Pascal’s spine. It seemed like a perfectly logical explanation- his mind had been so harmed by Shadowling that when the telepathic agent healed him, there were some missing gaps. But something about it… it just felt off. Pascal couldn’t place why, but part of them didn’t want Emile going anywhere near that telepathic agent, even though they had never met said agent.

“Tell you what, Logan. We’ll go take Emile to Patton, I’m sure there’s some boring paperwork stuff he has to do to make sure Emile sees this telepath. You get some rest,” Pascal said, trying to hide the nervousness in their tone. Logan turned his head to look at Pascal, then rose to his full height. The movement seemed strangely robotic, and it made Pascal’s insides squirm uncomfortably. They grabbed Emile’s hand on instinct, and the child seemed very willing to take it.

“Very well. Thank you for stopping by,” Logan said, then stepped back into his quarters and shut the door. With that, Pascal spun on their heel, pulling Emile along behind them. Missy scrambled to catch up with them, expression twisted with confusion.

“Uh- this isn’t the way to Patton’s quarters,” she said with a frown.

“Because we’re not taking him to Patton so that he can have his head messed with,” Pascal scowled.

“You lied to Logan?!” Missy hissed, grabbing Pascal’s arm and making them halt in their place. Pascal huffed out a sigh, turning to Missy.

“You were right,” they muttered. An entirely-too-pleased glint came to Missy’s eyes.

“Sorry, what was that?” she asked, grinning coyly. Pascal growled under their breath in frustration.

“There’s something weird about Logan, you were right,” they huffed. Missy’s grin grew wider, and Pascal heard a giggle come from Emile.

“Quiet, you. I still don’t know all the details yet- and once we get to my quarters, I want you to tell me everything about your family, Emile” Pascal muttered, starting to briskly walk down the hall once more.

“Wait, why your quarters?” Missy asked, near-jogging to keep up with Pascal’s quick pace.

“Because I disabled the security cameras in it ages ago?” they admitted sheepishly.

“You did what?!” Missy exclaimed. Pascal quickly shushed her, and she at least looked a little sheepish at her outburst.

“Listen, I’m a private person, alright? I’m a little creeped out by the Academy watching me sleep, even if it is to make sure no one hurts me while I’m dreaming,” Pascal huffed.

“I should be mad at you, but I’m relieved that we have somewhere to talk where the Academy won’t hear,” Missy said with a breathless laugh.

“Does this mean you guys are going to help my family?” Emile asked timidly. Pascal didn’t answer at first, and instead continued to their quarters and all but pushed Emile and Missy inside.

“I didn’t wanna say anything in the hall, but- yes. Maybe. I don’t know. But what I do know is that something feels weird about Logan- about all of this! And I think it’s about time that I listened to a different perspective,” Pascal explained. Missy grinned- her expression was somewhat smug, but also somewhat proud, and she leaned over to press a kiss to their temple. Then the two of them turned to Emile, and listened as he told them about his not-so-typical family.


	14. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -imprisonment  
> -claustrophobia  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -nightmares  
> -injury  
> -violence mention  
> -character seeming off/not acting like themself  
> -amnesia  
> -feeling betrayed/abandoned  
> -talking about a person like they're an object  
> -insults  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -torture  
> -screaming  
> -crying  
> -unconsciousness  
> -feelings of loneliness

Virgil had forgotten how cold the glass cylinder was. He also had forgotten how small it was- forcing years of buried down claustrophobia to come to light. He had gotten so used to being free, to being out in the open- he had forgotten what being trapped felt like. Well… not entirely. There were the occasional nightmares that he had gotten of being trapped, causing him to sit bolt upright in a cold sweat, shaking and crying. But then Janus and Remus would be there to comfort and remind him that he was safe and with them. Maybe this was all a nightmare too.

But unfortunately, it seemed all too real. He was trapped in a glass cylinder in an empty room, with no way to get out. There was no Janus to comfort him, no Uncle Remus or Roman to make him laugh, no Remy to banter with, no Emile to read stories to, and no Logan to wake up next to. Logan… unbidden, the image of Logan, his long hair pulled back and blue eyes glinting behind his glasses. Those eyes… so intelligent, so clever- always trying to puzzle something together. But at the same time, they could glow bright with power, like two burning stars orbiting each other. The last time he had seen those eyes, Logan looked terrified…

Virgil brought his hand to his side with a wince. The sting wound had been treated and bandaged, but it still ached ever so slightly. Which meant that Virgil had to have been in the glass cylinder for at least a day or two- the pain wasn’t fiery and insistent like it had been when the Academy agent stunned him, but it definitely wasn’t gone either. But truthfully, Virgil couldn’t know for sure. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed, especially since Virgil hadn’t really slept much either. He would doze off occasionally, curled up at the bottom of the cylinder, but it was always fitful and restless.

Regardless of how long Virgil had been there, it had given him one thing: time to think. He thought about Janus, Uncle Remus, Uncle Roman, Remy- what had happened to them? Had they gotten away, or had they been taken like Virgil? Or worse- what if the Academy had killed them? What if Virgil was waiting for a rescue that would never come? Another thought that plagued Virgil is what had happened to Emile. The last he had seen the kid, Emile had been in the clutches of an Academy agent. The Academy wouldn’t kill a child… would they?

But the one person who plagued his thoughts more than his own family was Logan. Virgil kept replaying the night Logan had been taken in by his family. The soft look he had on his face when Emile showed him his collection of stuffed animals, how he pressed up against Virgil as he read to them- then there was the way his dark hair framed his face when he let it loose from his bun. The distant, almost heartbroken look when he talked about his best friend. Logan had looked so small, so vulnerable in that moment- he had been leagues away from the agent that had chased Virgil down on that stormy night. Maybe that’s why Virgil had instinctively clung to Logan in his sleep- he must have felt the need to protect him, to shield him from painful memories in any way he could.

Suddenly- as if thinking about him so much had summoned him- Logan strode into the room where Virgil was being held. Virgil immediately scrambled to his feet and pressed his hands against the glass. Logan seemed surprisingly put together… his hair was pulled up into a bun, not a strand out of sight, and he was wearing the uniform of an Academy agent- an all black supersuit with accents of color (in Logan’s case, dark blue). And his eyes- those powerful and clever blue eyes- were _glaring_ at Virgil.

“S-Starboy?” Virgil said, voice shaking more than he had meant it to. Logan’s expression pinched with confusion and disgust.

“Excuse me?” Logan asked with disdain in his tone. Something twisted in Virgil’s gut. Sure, Logan didn’t like the nickname “Starboy,” but he had always reacted with dramatic spluttering or- dare Virgil think it- exasperated fondness. Never this clear disgust for the term- if it had really bothered Logan so much, why hadn’t he said anything sooner?

“Star- sorry, I mean- Logan, what’s going on? Are you okay, did they hurt you- what about Emile or the rest of my family?” Virgil rambled, the only thing keeping his hands from shaking was the fact that he had them pressed against the glass. Logan’s confused expression twisted into pure distaste, and something shattered within Virgil.

“I’m not sure where you come off calling me ‘Logan,’ but you are in no position to question me, Shadowling,” he said coldly. Virgil felt like he was going to cry. Had it all been a lie? Had Logan come to Virgil and his family as an elaborate ruse to capture him? And if so, then Virgil had fallen for it- hook, line, and sinker.

“I- I don’t understand- was anything you said to me- in the subway tunnel, in Emile’s favorite place- was any of that real?” Virgil asked, voice barely above a whisper. Logan’s expression twisted with anger, eyes beginning to flicker with glowing blue energy.

“Stop trying to manipulate me with that silver tongue of yours. You tried that before, and I’m lucky to be back to myself, even if my memory of the subway tunnel is unclear,” Logan fumed. Virgil’s eyes widened. The memory of the fight in the subway tunnels came back to him- Logan had fallen to his knees at one point, pleading for someone to get out of his head. One of the agents must have been a telepath- but was Virgil just grasping at straws at this point, for any explanation that led to Logan not betraying him? He was beginning to think that maybe Logan had never cared about him in the first place- until _he_ strode in.

“Agent Thorne, do you mind giving me a moment with the wea- with the rogue?” the agent that Virgil had seen Logan pleading with asked, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Of course. Be careful, Agent Dice- his words are still dangerous, even if he cannot use his powers on us,” he replied with a curt nod, then glared at Virgil one last time before leaving the room. Virgil watched him leave, feeling more and more hollow as every one of Logan’s footsteps echoed in the room.

“So this is what my little weapon has become… the great and terrible Shadowling, nothing more than a punk in a glass case,” the agent hummed, seeming disinterested. Virgil scowled, glaring down at Agent Dice.

“I’ll admit, it’s nice to know that my reputation at least includes the phrase ‘great’ in it- but I’m not anyone’s anything,” Virgil spat. Agent Dice raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Is that so? You and your so-called ‘family’ seem pretty attached,” he shot back, seeming all-too-pleased with himself.

“What have you done to them- what have you done to Logan?!” Virgil demanded. Agent Dice threw his head back and laughed.

“What has you so convinced I’ve done something to Logan? He betrayed you, Shadowling,” Agent Dice scoffed. A cold pit settled in Virgil’s stomach. That couldn’t be true- no, he just didn’t want it to be true.

“You’re lying!” Virgil protested, making a fist and slamming it against the glass. Virgil was suddenly met with the sensation of something prodding at the back of his skull, and he hissed in discomfort, reaching back to feel at something that wasn’t there.

“Maybe- but you don’t really believe that, do you?” Agent Dice taunted, and the prodding sensation increased. It was like a pair of hands were rifling through his thoughts, and Virgil let out a discomforted groan through his teeth. He met Agent Dice’s smug expression with a glare. If Agent Dice was going to mess with his head, then maybe he could mess around back. He reached out with his mind, grabbing at those “hands” and tugging firmly as he sent fear through them. Agent Dice gasped and staggered backwards, and Virgil was met with a flurry of confusing visions.

Two individuals- parents?- were glaring down at Agent Dice with disapproval. Then those two individuals turned into a crowd, all of them looking at Agent Dice with that same disapproval with some anger mixed in. Then the vision shifted again, and Virgil found himself seeing _himself_. Just… as a kid, not trapped in a glass cylinder and screaming at anyone who came close to him, sending fear spiralling through the air. Then he saw himself as he was now, his bangs barely hiding black eyes full of anger, with Janus and Remus on either side of him.

“You’re afraid of me,” Virgil gasped in realization when he pulled back from the nightmare visions. Agent Dice was clutching at his head, and he glared back at Virgil.

“What is it with you rogues and resisting my influence- I’m the one trying to fix this sloppy story,” Agent Dice growled. Virgil let out an incredulous sound.

“Story?! You’re delusional, this is real life! Of course it’s going to be messy,” Virgil scoffed.

“I’m _tired_ of it being messy! It’s up to me to fix this shoddy narrative,” Agent Dice spat.

“You’re treating life like- like you’re some sort of critic! Yeah, life sucks sometimes, but we can’t just force it to be like we want!” Virgil protested.

“But I _can_ change it. And you’re going to help me,” Agent Dice said firmly. Virgil huffed out a laugh.

“You think I’m gonna help you?” Virgil scoffed. Agent Dice only smirked, and _that_ had Virgil’s insides squirming uncomfortably.

“Agent Thorne, I require your assistance. Shadowling is proving difficult,” Agent Dice said into his communicator. Virgil’s blood ran cold.

“What are you doing?” Virgil demanded in a hollow, detached tone. Agent Dice didn’t answer, just looked at Virgil with that same damn smirk. Logan soon entered the room, refusing to acknowledge Virgil and instead looking at Agent Dice.

“You asked for me?” Logan asked simply.

“Yes, there’s some information I’m trying to glean from Shadowling, but his fear-inducing abilities are meddling with my telepathic abilities,” Agent Dice explained. Logan’s expression twisted with confusion.

“I see, but how am I supposed to help in this situation?” Logan asked. Agent Dice let out a small sigh, putting on a false-conflicted expression that had Virgil growling under his breath.

“Well… it’s not exactly an Academy-regulation tactic…” Agent Dice trailed off. Logan’s eyes widened with realization.

“You’re suggesting torture,” Logan said numbly, and Virgil was slightly relieved at the mild horror in his tone.

“I wouldn’t ask you unless there was any other way,” Agent Dice said, and Virgil scowled at the overly sugary and concerned tone Agent Dice was using.

“Well… I suppose if there’s no other way… what do you want me to do?” Logan asked. Agent Dice’s expression flickered with manic glee before it shifted back to something more professional-seeming.

“Follow me- see the cylinders on the panel here? These will allow you to channel your energy into Shadowling’s glass containment,” Agent Dice explained, guiding Logan over to a panel with two metal cylinders jutting out of it.

“So I just… put my hands in?” Logan asked.

“Yes, just be careful to not overdo it- a dead rogue would leave us with no answers,” Agent Dice said with a curt nod. Logan nodded firmly, and although he was desperately trying not to, Virgil was trembling with fear. Logan’s eyes lit up with blue energy as he slid his hands into the cylinders. Virgil’s glass containment flooded with the blue star-like energy, and Virgil couldn’t hold back his cry of pain if he tried. His nerves lit up with pain as the energy flooded through him, and he dimly registered falling to his knees. How he wasn’t being burnt to a crisp by the blue light, he wasn’t sure, but maybe he was and he just couldn’t register it- hell he was barely aware of anything besides the pain sparking through his veins and the hoarseness of his voice as he screamed.

Then as soon as it started, it stopped. The energy faded, and Virgil slumped against the glass, blinking away tears that he hadn’t initially realized were gathering in his eyes. He glanced up to see Logan pulling back from the panel with horror in his eyes. Logan’s gaze met Virgil’s for the briefest of moments, and Virgil could have sworn he looked… apologetic. But it was only for a brief moment, and Logan turned to look at Agent Dice.

“I- I’m sorry. I- I can’t do this. Not even to Shadowling,” he said, looking down at the floor. Agent Dice looked sympathetic, for a moment, but then he glanced to Virgil with a devious glint in his eyes.

“That’s alright- there are other ways to get information, Agent Thorne,” Agent Dice said coolly. Then before either Logan or Virgil could ask what he meant, Agent Dice reached out and put his hand to Logan’s forehead. Logan let out a pained gasp, eyes glazing over slightly as he stood ramrod straight.

“Stop, what are you doing?!” Virgil demanded, struggling to his feet and pounding on the glass.

“He can do what I ask of him, he just needs a little push,” Agent Dice replied simply. He drew his hand back, and Logan moved back to the panel- although it was jerky, like a puppet on strings.

“You’re hurting him- you’ve _been_ hurting him! That’s why he doesn’t remember me, isn’t it?!” Virgil fumed, pain forgotten as he glared at Agent Dice for what he did to Logan. Agent Dice turned to Virgil with a morbidly curious expression.

“Interesting… what do you say we make a deal, my little weapon,” he said in a near purr. Virgil physically recoiled when Agent Dice called him his “little weapon.”

“I’m not your _anything_ ,” Virgil growled.

“But you could be- agree to be my weapon, and I’ll let Agent Thorne remember you again,” Agent Dice offered. Virgil’s eyes went wide. He had to admit- the offer tempted him for a moment. Logan would be safe, he would remember everything about Virgil and his family- but would he want to? Would he want to, once he learned that Virgil had agreed to become a weapon?

“I…” Virgil trailed off, unsure of how to respond. Agent Dice merely smirked at him.

“I’ll give you some time to think it over,” he said, and gave a pointed glance to Logan. Instantly, Logan’s eyes rolled back and he collapsed into Agent Dice. He scooped Logan up into his arms, and Virgil’s heart dropped to see Logan so limp and defenseless. 

“I miscalculated how effective Shadowling’s powers would be while in containment, we may need to adjust the power-dampening field. Agent Thorne is unconscious due to Shadowling’s influence, he will be fine and I’ll bring him to his quarters to rest,” Agent Dice said into his communicator. And with one last cruel smirk directed at Virgil, Agent Dice spun on his heel and walked out of the room with Logan in his arms, leaving Virgil feeling more alone than he had felt before.


	15. Reunions and First Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -teasing/banter  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -death mention  
> -imprisonment mention  
> -mind reading/manipulation mention  
> -crying

Janus crouched on top of a building, glaring down at the facility in front of him- and getting a major sense of deja vu. Had it really been ten years ago that they and Remus had rescued Virgil? It felt like it had been only yesterday- but things had changed so much since then. For starters, he had a grouchy sibling-in-law crouching beside them, fiddling with their daggers nervously. Janus rolled his eyes.

“Fidgeting is  _ definitely _ going to help us in this mission- at this rate, you’re going to lose your balance and fall off the edge with all your extra movements,” they hissed.

“Well, excuse me, I’m nervous! I’ve never been this close to an Academy facility before, and knowing my son is down there somewhere isn’t helping either!” Remy shot back in a whisper.

“You’re not the only one with a- with someone. With someone down there, somewhere,” Janus replied, his tone fiery at first but dropping down to something more resigned and melancholy.

“It’s okay, you know,” Remy said softly. Janus turned to look at them, confusion etched in his features.

“What?” he asked.

“You can call Virgil your son. He’s just as much your mijo as Emile is mine,” they said firmly, reaching out and clasping a hand on Janus’s shoulder.

“But I- I just sort of… took care of him?” Janus asked weakly. Remy gave him an incredulous stare.

“Yeah that’s- that’s what having a son is. Taking care of a kid, teaching them about the world… did they not teach you how parenting and children work at the Academy?” they asked slowly, as if they were explaining a complex subject to Janus.

“It wasn’t that kind of school,” he replied gruffly, crossing his arms- although the movement didn’t dislodge Remy’s firm grip on his shoulder.

“I was being sarcastic, hon.”

“I’m aware.”

“Just- look. You took Virgil in and raised him with your brother. And Remus claimed being the uncle, so… congratulations, you’re a parent. You don’t have to make Virgil call you ‘Dad’ or anything, but it’s okay to say that he’s your son. And I’ve seen the way he looks at you- he  _ definitely _ considers you his parental figure,” Remy said, smiling softly and squeezing Janus’s shoulder before removing their hand. Janus considered Remy’s words for a moment or two.

“Oh- I… thank you,” he murmured.

“You’re welcome. Now let’s go figure out where they’re keeping our kids,” Remy said with determination in their tone. Janus nodded curtly and pulled their goggles down over their eyes. With a press of the button on the side of his goggles, he activated the night vision and scanned the buildings.

“There! The tallest building in the center, that’s where the information center is,” Janus said, grabbing Remy’s hand and teleporting both of them to the top of the building. Remy stumbled back from him, arms windmilling as they caught their balance.

“Gurl, what the FUCK,” they spluttered, patting themself down as if they were making sure they had all their limbs.

“... what do you mean? We’re on top of the building now,” Janus said, brow furrowed with mild confusion.

“Yeah, but you did  _ not _ tell me that we were teleporting! I have to mentally prepare myself before dissolving into sparkles,” Remy replied with a shiver.

“I don’t sparkle!” Janus hissed.

“You do! And it feels weird as fuck!” Remy shot back with a teasing grin.

“Well, I’ll be sure to give more of a warning then, next time. Let’s just get in, get the information we need, then get out,” he huffed. Remy’s teasing expression shifted to something more serious, and they nodded in agreement. The two of them walked towards the roof access door, only to find that it was locked when Janus juggled the handle. They cursed under their breath.

“What’s the deal? Can’t you just… teleport us inside?” Remy asked.

“No, not if I don’t know what the inside looks like- and even if I did know what it looked like, it’d be risky,” he replied, fiddling with his gloves anxiously.

“Step aside, Twinkle Toes, I got this,” Remy said, all but shoving them aside and kneeling down in front of the door. They reached into an inner pocket of their jacket and pulled out a small, thin pouch. They unrolled it, revealing it to be a lockpicking kit, of all things.

“You keep a lockpicking kit on you?” Janus asked, blinking in surprise.

“Um, duh? It’s helpful for scavenging. Not all of us can teleport wherever we please,” Remy said as they began working at the lock.

“I… guess that’s a good point. I’m a little surprised that the lock isn’t electronic,” Janus replied, humming thoughtfully as he squinted in suspicion.

“Probably a precaution against someone like Remus who could just override the lock,” Remy pointed out with a shrug. That soothed Janus’s suspicions, but only slightly. It still felt too easy… but maybe he was being overly paranoid.

Janus was startled from their thoughts when the lock clicked open, and Remy opened the door. They rolled the pouch back up and put it back in their inner jacket pocket, then stood up and turned to Janus with a grin. They stepped to the side and gestured for Janus to go first, and Janus did so with an eye roll. The two of them walked down a set of stairs until they reached another door. Janus frowned, motioned for Remy to stop, and switched his goggles to infrared mode. 

“No heat signatures, we’re alone,” Janus murmured, opening the door and feeling a little shocked that it was unlocked. He switched off his goggles and propped them back up on his head before heading over to the circular control panel in the middle of the room.

“You start looking for where they’re keeping them, I’ll keep watch,” Remy said, flicking their daggers out. Janus nodded grimly and turned to the control panel- and a horrible thought occurred to them. What if there was nothing  _ to _ find? He had witnessed the Academy taking the kids away, but who’s to say that they had brought the kids back to the Academy at all? What if they had been killed, and all Janus would find would be a series of reports detailing their deaths?

Janus shook their head. He couldn’t think about that- he had to hope that they were alive… so he began digging. Luckily, the Academy’s systems hadn’t changed much since Janus had been an agent, and breaking in was simple enough. He began searching- and let out a gasp. The kids weren’t dead… but maybe that would have been a preferable fate.

“What is it, what’s wrong?!” Remy demanded, rushing to Janus’s side.

“They’re alive. Emile’s been integrated into the Academy’s training program. Logan’s- it says that his mental state had to be- be  _ reconfigured _ by some Agent Cassian Dice, but that he’s back on duty. And Virgil-” Janus’s breath hitched, and he swallowed back a sob.

“He’s… in containment?” Remy said, horror clear in their tone as they read from the computer’s hologram display.

“In the same one that Remus and I found him in,” they fumed, their sorrow turning to anger in an instant.

“Oh my god… and what about Logan? What does it mean, they ‘reconfigured’ his mental state?” Remy asked with a shiver.

“I’m not sure- I’ve never heard of this Agent Dice- let me see if I can find a mission log from them or something,” Janus said, typing away at the control panel. However, when searching “Agent Cassian Dice,” it brought up… almost nothing. There was his Academy profile, stating his name, age, pronouns, powers, background, etc… but it was sparse. It seemed like he was a long-time member of the Academy- in fact his parents had been on the original council before they passed- but despite that, he had very few mission logs. His powers were listed as telepathic, and Janus was beginning to get a sinking, nauseating feeling of what the Academy meant by “reconfiguring” Logan’s mental state.

“I- I think Agent Dice somehow…  _ did _ something to Logan’s mind. Meaning if we try to rescue him… I’m not so certain if he’ll be eager to leave, or if he’ll even be the same Logan we met,” Janus explained, voice thick with a tangled mess of horror and grief.

“Holy shit,” Remy murmured.

“And something feels… off, about Agent Dice’s file. It feels like there should be more information- it’s like the Academy’s hiding something about him,” Janus added with a frown. Remy opened their mouth to say something else- but was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Janus and Remy whirled around to see three figures enter the room- one of them significantly shorter than the others, another one of them winged, and the last one seemed normal to Janus- but he recognized them all in an instant. The taller two of the group were the pyrokinetic and winged agents from the fight in the subway tunnels, and the shortest one was-

“Babi!” Emile squealed, running to Remy. They sheathed their daggers in an instant and fell to their knees, and pulled Emile into a hug, squeezing him tightly and refusing to let go.

“Emile, mijo, mi tesoro!” Remy babbled, rambling in relief in both English and Spanish. They pressed kisses to Emile’s hair, and it seemed both of them were crying in pure joy and relief.

“That was… easier than expected,” the pyrokinetic agent commented. Janus’s gaze whipped to them with a scowl, and he stood in front of Remy and Emile protectively.

“Whoa, hey wait! We’re on your side!” the winged agent shouted, rushing in front of the other agent and shielding them with her wings. Janus raised an eyebrow, still glaring at the two agents firmly.

“We were wrong, we realize that now. Emile told us everything, about how you’re just a family trying to live your lives. We were coming here to see what they did with Shadowl- Virgil. Then we were gonna break him out, more or less kidnap Logan, and take them back to you guys to see if there was something you could do about Logan, cause lemme tell you there’s something  _ weird _ about him now- hey wait a minute, I’ve never seen you without your goggles before, you look familiar…” the pyrokinetic agent trailed off, and Janus blinked in surprise at their rambling.

“I… excuse me?” Janus asked.

“Sorry, Pascal gets a little excited sometimes… but we are on your side, I swear! Also what do you mean, he looks familiar? I’ve never seen Warper without their goggles either, but he doesn’t look familiar to me,” the winged agent said, turning to the pyrokinetic- to  _ Pascal _ with a confused expression. Pascal didn’t answer her, instead scrutinizing Janus with a perplexed face. Then their eyes lit up, and their mouth fell open in shock.

“Holy shit  _ you’re _ the guy in Patton’s picture!” Pascal exclaimed. Janus’s face went bright red.

“What?!” Janus and the winged agent exclaimed in near unison.

“What the actual  _ fuck _ , Patton had a thing with Warper and didn’t  _ tell us _ ?!” Pascal exclaimed, grabbing the winged agent’s shoulders and shaking her slightly. Janus’s face only burned brighter, and Remy looked to Janus with a raised eyebrow.

“Pascal, what on  _ earth _ are you talking about?” the winged agent asked. Pascal’s expression turned sheepish, and they let out a nervous laugh.

“Uh… you remember when I pranked our whole task force by putting sticky notes all over yours, Logan’s, and Patton’s quarters?” Pascal asked timidly. The winged agent raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

“Yes?” she replied in a huff.

“Well, I might’ve snooped a bit in Patton’s quarters when I did it. And I found this old picture of him holding some guy, and I’m telling you, Warper looks  _ exactly _ like that guy! And if their expression is anything to go by, I’m right,” Pascal explained, letting go of the winged agent to gesture at Janus.

“He… kept that picture of us?” Janus murmured, eyes wide. If it was the one he was thinking of… Janus remembered the day it was taken clearly. He, Remus, and Patton had been assigned to their first task force, and Patton had gotten so excited that he swept Janus up into his arms. Remus happened to be nearby with a camera and had quickly snapped a picture of them.

“You really cared about this Patton, didn’t you?” Remy asked softly. Janus swallowed nervously and shook his head as if he were trying to dislodge the memories.

“It was a long time ago,” he muttered with a sigh.

“Well, maybe not too long ago! If Patton still has that picture of you, it must mean that he still cares about you too!” the winged agent chirped. Janus gave her a withering glare.

“Look, kid-”

“Missy,” she offered. Janus rolled their eyes.

“Right. Missy. I don’t know what you’re suggesting, but I do know that I don’t like it one bit,” they huffed.

“You should talk to Patton!” Missy suggested. Everyone stared at her with varying looks of shock and disbelief.

“I was right, I didn’t like that idea one bit,” Janus muttered.

“Yeah… gonna have to agree with Warper here- man, that was weird to say. Anyway- what good would him talking to Patton do?” Pascal asked incredulously.

“You know as well as I do that we’re gonna need help to get Logan, Virgil, and Emile out of here! And sure, we could go to rogues, but we also need an Academy agent with higher clearance than us. And I dunno… maybe Patton would have a better time believing a more… ‘adultier’ adult… than us!” Missy explained. Janus hummed in thought for a moment or two.

“Nuh-uh, don’t tell me you’re  _ actually _ considering this!” Remy demanded, giving Janus an incredulous look.

“Yeah, you’re one of the Academy’s top wanted rogues, and Patton is extremely by the book, no matter his emotional attachments,” Pascal added.

“I’ve tried convincing him to leave the Academy behind once before, but maybe… Missy, give me your communicator,” Janus said sternly, holding out his hand.

“Um… sure, but I don’t know what that’s gonna help…” she trailed off, removing the communicator from behind her ear and passing it to Janus. They fiddled with the settings on it for a moment or two, then gave it back to Missy.

“I’ve patched in my communicator channel to yours. That way you can stay in contact with us when Guardian and I leave. Then when you confront Patton, I can still talk to him with less risk of him taking me in,” Janus explained.

“You’re… trusting me with this?” Missy asked, eyes wide.

“Emile seems to trust you- so I trust you. Don’t break this trust, or you will regret it,” Janus said, voice dropping to a near growl. Missy nodded, swallowing nervously as she affixed the communicator back behind her ear.

“Understood,” she said, voice shaking slightly, but her tone was still solemn. Janus gave her a curt nod, then turned to look at Remy. They let out a shaky sigh, and let go of Emile.

“Babi?” Emile asked in a near whisper.

“It’s time for me to go now, mijo. I wish I could take you home with me… but I can’t, not yet. But your Dad and I will come back for you soon, I promise. Until then… can I trust you to be brave and stay here with your new friends?” Remy asked, voice thick as they tried their hardest not to cry.

“I can be brave, Babi,” Emile said with a sniffle. Remy gave him a watery smile, reaching up to brush his curls out of his eyes, then let their hand linger on his face for a moment.

“I love you so much, mijo. You’ll be safe and home soon, I promise,” Remy said, leaning forward to kiss Emile’s forehead. They stood up and backed away from him, and Emile took a few steps back as well.

“We’ll keep him safe, Guardian. I promise,” Pascal said. Remy gave a grateful nod, wiping at their eyes.

“Thank you,” Remy said softly. Both Missy and Pascal gave them comforting smiles, and Missy offered her hand to Emile. The child took it, and he waved goodbye to Remy and Janus.

“Ready to go?” Janus murmured, holding out his hand. Remy gave a stiff nod, taking their hand. And with that, the two of them disappeared in a flurry of sparks.


	16. Swayed Allegiances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -descriptions of a character seeming off  
> -repression of feelings (specifically pretending like everything's okay)  
> -emotional conversations  
> -crying

Patton was sitting on his bed, head in his hands. Ever since the fight in the old subway tunnels, Patton’s thoughts had been tumultuous. Logan had just been so distraught, and now to see him so… oddly normal? It was off-putting, to say the least. Patton had been assured that any oddities in Logan’s behavior was just a side effect of whatever Shadowling had done to him, and that the telepathic agent had done all he could to restore him to how he was. But then the memory of Logan’s scream from the subway tunnel came to Patton, and the fact that Logan was unusually obedient in following orders now. Heck, he had just returned from interrogating Shadowling and was advised to rest due to the adverse effects Shadowling still had on him. And he actually  _ followed _ that advice. The Logan that Patton knew would have been fighting tooth and nail to get answers from Shadowling… maybe he had learned his lesson now, but something about it still felt off about it to Patton.

A knock at the door startled Patton from his thoughts. He quickly stood up, dusting himself off and making himself look presentable. He didn’t really want anyone to know that he had been moping, especially for such a silly reason! Everything was fine, the Academy would take care of things like always. Right?

“Come in,” Patton said. The door opened, and Missy, Pascal, and a little boy walked in. Patton recognized the boy as the one that had been with the rogues in the tunnel, and his heart ached a bit.

“Hey… Patton? Do you mind if we talk to you about something? In my room?” Pascal asked, seeming unusually timid, yet serious. Patton frowned.

“Why can’t we talk about it here?” he asked.

“Because it’s a… private matter, and I… maybe sort of deactivated the security camera in my quarters,” Pascal admitted quietly. Patton raised an eyebrow, and glanced between the three kids.

“Well… alright then. But after this, you’re reactivating that security camera,” Patton said sternly.

“Right. Just… c’mon,” Pascal said, motioning for Patton to follow them. Patton trailed after the trio warily, and once inside Pascal’s room, they motioned for Patton to sit down on the bed. Missy sat down next to Patton, and the child crawled into Missy’s lap. Pascal remained standing, but did lean against the edge of their desk.

“You three are scaring me a little,” Patton commented with a small laugh, trying to lighten the tension in the air.

“I’m sorry, but it’s about to get scarier. I think we were wrong for taking Shadowling and Emile in, and for… whatever that telepathic agent did to Logan,” Pascal said, rather bluntly. Patton’s eyes went wide.

“Excuse me?” Patton asked, voice low and edging on dangerous.

“There is something seriously wrong with Logan- and I’m his best friend, I would know! And besides, Emile told us what the rogues really are like,” Missy added.

“And… you’re going to believe a child over the Academy?” Patton asked.

“We are. The rogues aren’t bad guys, not really. They’re just people- a family, actually- trying to live their lives, and the Academy is determined to tear that family apart,” Pascal said firmly.

“And besides, it’s not just a child we’re believing… there’s someone else we met… and they want to talk to you too,” Missy said, taking off her communicator and holding it out to Patton. He looked at it in confusion for a moment, but took his own off and traded it for Missy’s. He affixed it behind his ear, and the voice he heard from the other side… Patton’s throat tightened at the sound.

“Hello, Agent Carter,” Jan-  _ Warper’s _ \- voice came through the communicator. Patton shot up from the bed, and Pascal immediately scrambled in front of the door, glaring up at Patton as fire flickered in their palms.

“Let him talk,” Pascal growled. Patton glanced between them and Missy, who had a determined expression on her face as well, and Patton sat back down.

“How am I talking to you?” Patton asked lowly.

“You are aware of how communicators work, correct?” Warper asked dryly. Patton grit his teeth together.

“Warper,” he growled. A sigh was heard from the communicator.

“Your agents stumbled upon Guardian and I in the information center, and we made a plan together… and we need your help,” Warper explained, albeit a bit reluctantly.

“So the big bad rogue needs my help now?” Patton scoffed.

“Yes… please, Agent Ca- Patton. Shadowling… he’s- he’s my son. I took him in when he was young- hell, he’s  _ still _ young. He doesn’t deserve to be locked away. And Emile needs to be with his own family, and Logan deserves the chance to think for himself, instead of a telepath reconfiguring him for the Academy’s needs,” they explained, voice wavering as they spoke. Patton’s eyes went wide.

“Your… your son?” he asked, voice thick with emotion. A part of him couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he had ran away with Warper- with  _ Janus _ all those years ago. Would Shadowling have been like a son to him too? And what about Emile and his family, how would have they factored in?

“I- yes. And as long as him, Emile, and Logan- and hell, Missy and Pascal too- are free and able to make their own choices, that would be enough. You could take me in, for all I care. I just want Virgil and the others to be safe,” he pleaded, voice sounding more raw and honest than Patton had ever heard it.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Patton asked slowly.

“Honestly? You don’t, and I wouldn’t blame you for not trusting me. I lied to you, Patton. I panicked, and I broke your trust- and I’ve regretted it every second of my life since then. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you, I-”

“Janus,” Patton said, cutting him off. He heard Janus’s breath catch.

“Yes?” they asked quietly.

“I’ll help you. Because while I’ve tried to deny it- I regret not listening to you when you ran away all those years ago,” Patton said softly.

“You- you do?” Janus asked, his voice so fragile it just about broke Patton’s own fragile heart.

“Yes, I do. So I’ll help you get the kids out of here. And after that… I dunno. I never thought I’d go rogue, but I don’t think the Academy’s gonna want to keep me…” Patton trailed off.

“One step at a time, okay?” Janus said with a chuckle. A small smile came to Patton’s face.

“One step at a time. What do you need me to do?” Patton asked. The line was silent for a moment or two.

“I…”

“You didn’t think you’d get this far, did you?” Patton asked with a laugh.

“No! I  _ definitely _ had a plan, I was just… trying to figure out how to word it,” Janus huffed.

“Well, are you open to suggestions?” Patton asked, biting his lip and trying his hardest not to giggle. He had admittedly missed the way Janus always deflected questions in his snarky, sarcastic way- not that he’d ever say it out loud.

“What did you have in mind?” Janus asked.

“We need to figure out what exactly happened to Logan. He definitely seems off… so I’ll confront the telepathic agent and figure out how to change him back. While I’m doing that, Missy, Pascal, and Emile can keep Logan occupied,” Patton explained.

“Leaving the rest of us to break Virgil out and keep all the rest of the Academy occupied… I’m not sure if I like our odds- and what if there  _ isn’t _ a way to bring Logan back?” Janus countered.

“Well, how many rogues do you have?” Patton asked, ignoring his question about Logan. Patton  _ had _ to believe there was a way to fix Logan, there just had to!

“Four, including myself,” Janus replied.

“What about Bombshell and Wyldflower? Didn’t Sparkplug break them out?” Pascal piped up.

“...what are you- Remus! Did you sneak off to break out some rogues we barely know?!” Janus demanded, voice sounding a little fainter as he must have turned to berate Remus. Patton heard a garbled reply, and then a contemplative hum from Janus.

“Well?” Patton asked.

“He  _ didn’t _ break anyone out- when did this supposedly happen?” Janus asked.

“The same night Logan ran off to find Shadowling and the rest of you,” Missy replied. A sudden realization dawned on Patton.

“Oh my gosh- Sparkplug didn’t break out those two rogues,  _ Logan _ must have!” Patton exclaimed.

“How did you jump to that conclusion?” Janus asked incredulously.

“Well- it just had to be him! It made the perfect cover for him to sneak out!” Patton exclaimed, both a little disappointed but mostly awed by Logan’s cleverness.

“So you’re suggesting that we find these rogues- Bombshell and Wyldflower- and ask them to create a distraction again?” Janus asked, and while Patton couldn’t see them, he could picture the thoughtful expression they would have had on their face.

“Exactly!” Patton chirped.

“Well… it’s worth a shot. We’ll try and track them down, but regardless if we get their help or not, we need to move quickly. Shall we say… tomorrow night, to put our plan into action?” Janus offered.

“You never were the patient type,” Patton laughed.

“Just don’t want to give you enough time to change your mind,” Janus teased. Patton laughed again, and he heard chuckling coming from Janus as well.

“Tomorrow night then,” Patton said softly. Janus made a sound of affirmation in response, and the line went dead. There was a bit of tension in the room, and Patton smiled sheepishly.

“Y’know, I’ll be the first to admit it- I didn’t think that was going to work,” Pascal said with a nervous laugh. Patton gave a grim smile in response.

“I’m afraid that was the easy part… are you kiddos sure you’re ready to leave the Academy behind?” Patton asked, furrowing his brow in concern.

“Are you?” Missy asked. Patton turned to look at her, and saw a bit of trepidation in her features- as well as in the child in her lap, Emile’s, expression.

“I don’t really know- heck, I don’t really know how I feel about Warp- Janus, anymore. But… it doesn’t feel right to keep families apart,” Patton admitted softly.

“Then don’t stay apart from us,” Pascal said firmly.

“What?” Patton asked, shock evident in his tone.

“You’re our family, Pat. After this is all over- there’s no one saying you even have to be  _ friends _ with Janus or Remus again. You can go your separate ways… but maybe you could go your separate ways with us,” Pascal offered.

“Yeah! Pascal and I definitely plan to stick together, no matter what! And yeah, we’re adults… but it would be nice to have someone a little older and wiser with us too,” Missy said with a light blush. Patton glanced between the two of them, and the pair only blushed deeper.

“Did you two…”

“They’re in love!” Emile blurted. This sparked a round of nervous and slightly hysterical laughter in the group, and Patton wiped at his eyes slightly.

“Is that so?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Yup! I might’ve spied on them in the vent a little bit, and then I fell on top of them, and then they took me to Logan who was acting super weird, and then I told them about my family, and then we actually  _ saw _ some of my family, and then we talked to you!” Emile rambled, and Patton couldn’t keep the fond grin off of his face if he tried.

“Can I hear about your family?” Patton asked.

“Yeah! First there’s my Dad and Babi…” Emile started, then continued to ramble on about his parents, then Uncle Remus and Uncle Janus, then his cousin Virgil, and even Logan, who he referred to as his “cousin-in-law,” although Patton wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. And while he had no idea what his future was going to hold… Patton was certain that he at least wanted to give this family a chance, regardless if he ended up staying with them or his current one.


	17. A Walk on the Wyld Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -crying  
> -hugging  
> -teasing/banter  
> -fire mention  
> -arson mention

Janus breathed out a sigh as he ended the call with Patton. He ran his fingers through his hair, hands shaking slightly. Talking to Patton, bantering with him like he used to- it felt so foreign yet so bittersweet and familiar. And the thought of Patton actually considering leaving the Academy after helping Janus rescue Virgil and the others? It was enough to send Janus’s stomach squirming, but not unpleasantly. They hadn’t gotten butterflies like that in a very long time- they couldn’t exactly pinpoint the first time they had felt this way… but Janus got the feeling it had something to do with Patton’s gray eyes and the way his wavy brown hair shone like polished bronze in the sunlight.

A hand on Janus’s shoulder startled him from his thoughts. Remus was looking down at him, a soft, questioning expression in his eyes. Janus didn’t respond but instead patted the spot on the bench in the subway car next to him. Remus complied and brought his arm around Janus’s shoulders in a side hug. Janus swallowed the knot of tears welling in his throat, and buried his face in the crook of Remus’s neck. Remus leaned his head on top of Janus’s, squeezing his shoulders gently.

“So… the call with Patton went bad, huh?” Remus asked. Janus let out a laugh that was half sigh and half sob.

“No, he’s agreed to help us,” Janus said, rather numbly.

“That doesn’t explain the waterworks, Jan. You’re getting my jacket wet,” Remus teased, but didn’t make any movement to push Janus away from him.

“I’m not crying,” they muttered, wiping at their eyes.

“Uh-huh.” 

“It’s just- after only a few minutes of talking to each other, it was like everything was back to normal between us. Like the last fifteen years never even happened,” Janus replied with a slight huff, breaking away from Remus to gesture wildly.

“Is that such a bad thing?” Remus asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Yes! Well- no? Ugh, I don’t know!” Janus replied with a scowl, slumping into Remus again. Remus tentatively brought up a hand to card through Janus’s hair, and he let him (even if Remus was a little prone to conducting static shock and making his hair stand up from time to time).

“Do you think he’s trying to set you up?” Remus asked quietly. Janus let out a small sigh.

“I don’t think so. Even with everything Patton’s done- he’s still a terrible liar. He was being truthful in wanting to help us, I’m certain of it. Besides- I might’ve tugged at his heartstrings a little by casually mentioning that Virgil was my son,” they replied semi-sheepishly.

“Patton always was a softie… especially for you,” Remus teased. Janus groaned and shoved at Remus, who let out a gleeful cackle.

“I thought you were comforting me,” he muttered with a near pout on their face.

“This is how I do comfort Jan, I thought you’d know that by now,” Remus replied with a smirk. Janus rolled his eyes but ended up smiling fondly at Remus anyhow.

“Thank you, Remus,” he murmured. Remus gave him a lopsided grin.

“Anytime. Now… what’s the plan with Patton?” he asked.

“For that, Roman and Remy should be included in this conversation… so they can stop eavesdropping by the door now,” Janus said with a chuckle, turning to glare at the door. There was a muffled thump, followed by Roman’s voice.

“We weren’t eavesdropping!”

“Mi amor, by answering them you just confirmed that we were eavesdropping,” Remy’s voice came in a sigh. Then the subway doors pushed open, and Remy all but sauntered in, with Roman trailing sheepishly behind them.

“So… what’s the plan, Edward Sullen?” Roman asked. Janus wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Why did you call me that?” they huffed.

“I figured it was better than ‘Sparkles!’ Because Edward Cullen sparkles, and he’s a vampire, which is more your speed…” Roman trailed off at the withering glare Janus sent him.

“Does this make Patton his Bella?” Remy teased.

“Excuse me?!” Janus hissed.

“Uhm… I may be aro, but even I can recognize that Edward and Bella’s relationship  _ might _ not have been the best,” Remus said with a wince. Everyone turned to look at Remus with varying looks of shock and confusion on their faces.

“Have you even read Twilight?” Roman asked, dumbfounded. Remus flushed bright red, and  _ that _ was a shock to see.

“Romance novels… might’ve been a guilty pleasure of mine when I was in the Academy,” Remus admitted sheepishly.

“You never told me this-” the rest of Janus’s sentence got cut off by a squeal from Roman.

“You like romance novels?! Do you have a favorite?! I admittedly haven’t read a whole lot, but if I ever happened to find a romance novel while out scavenging…” Roman rambled, halting when Remy put a hand on his arm.

“I think Janus was going to tell us what the plan was for getting the kids back?” they asked, looking to Janus for confirmation.

“I- yes. As long as it’s alright with you two to gush about romance novels later?” Janus asked, glancing between Roman and Remus.

“Oh! Sorry, yes! Yes of course,” Roman replied semi-sheepishly, and Remus nodded along with him.

“Thank you. Now, as I told Remus and you two by proxy, as you were eavesdropping, Pat- Agent Carter has agreed to help us,” Janus explained.

“Oh hon, just drop the formalities and call him Patton. We know who you’re talking about,” Remy said in a mildly teasing tone. Janus flushed slightly and cleared their throat before speaking again.

“Right. As I was saying… Remy and I discovered that Logan’s mind had been- tampered with, for lack of a better term- by an agent named Cassian Dice. Patton has agreed to confront this agent and figure out how to change Logan back. While he’s doing that, two agents- Missy and Pascal- along with Emile will keep Logan occupied until he can get back to himself. That leaves the rest of us to break Virgil out,” Janus explained.

“What about the rest of the Academy? I mean, I’m definitely willing to take them all on… but I will admit that our odds don’t look great,” Roman asked with a frown.

“For that, we will need to recruit more help. When Logan snuck out to find us, there was a breakout that happened simultaneously. The Academy had previously thought that Remus was the one behind it, but Patton seems to think Logan broke these other rogues out to create a distraction. We need to find these rogues and convince them to cause a distraction so that we can break Virgil out,” Janus continued. Remy, Roman, and Remus all looked to him with varying skeptical expressions.

“How long do we have to find these rogues?” Remy asked warily.

“We’re executing this plan tomorrow night, whether or not we have the assistance of these rogues. We have to move quickly before the Academy realizes we’re working with agents on the inside. Plus I don’t want our kids in there longer than they have to be,” he replied firmly.

“Sounds good to me… who are we looking for?” Roman asked, determination flashing in his eyes.

“Their names are Bombshell and Wyldflower. I’ve never actually met them, but their reputation is… concerning,” Janus admitted with a wince.

“I don’t know what your problem is with them, they just like to flaunt their rogue-ness!” Remus protested with a mild pout. Janus rolled their eyes and sighed.

“Sounds like something I can get behind,” Roman said with a grin.

“Well if they like to flaunt, then they should be easy to find… shouldn’t they?” Remy asked.

“Maybe. Our first places to search should be somewhere with overgrown greenery, that’s practically one of Wyldflower’s calling cards,” Janus suggested. The four rogues’ expressions turned thoughtful for a few moments.

“There’s an overgrown park towards the center of the city… maybe we could try there?” Roman suggested. Janus’s brow furrowed as he looked up at Roman semi-incredulously.

“That park is… uncomfortably close to the Academy,” he said with a grimace.

“Which makes it the obvious place for them to hide! The Academy wouldn’t think to look under their own nose!” Remus exclaimed.

“And being so close to the Academy would give them extra flaunting points,” Remy added. Janus pondered this while the other three looked at them expectantly.

“What if we’re wrong?” he asked softly.

“Then we’ll search elsewhere! This city isn’t exactly a hub of greenery, after all. And we have the rest of the day today, and a decent chunk of tomorrow to search,” Roman declared, and Janus couldn’t help but smile at his dramatic determination.

“We’d better get going then,” Janus said with a wry smirk. Roman’s grin somehow grew tenfold, and Janus’s smirk quickly turned into a fond smile. He stood up, and Remus followed his lead. He took Roman’s hand, then Remus’s, and Remy took Roman and Remus’s other hands. Janus closed their eyes, and teleported the four of them up to the surface.

* * *

Their journey to the overgrown park was fortunately uneventful. The park in question was probably beautiful and well-kept at one point, but now it resembled more of a sprawling forest than a park. In a way, Janus felt as if the greenery was rebelling against the city too- maybe that was a sign that they were in the right place. The four rogues came across rickety and rusted playground equipment that had moss and vines spreading all over it. A tree had even managed to sprout in the middle of a domed jungle gym, its branches twisting and reaching out between the bars of the jungle gym- Janus appreciated the irony. A piece of equipment beginning to resemble part of its namesake? They could get behind that.

“So… we’re here. Do we just call out their names and hope they’re nearby, or something?” Remus asked. Janus opened his mouth to reply, but whatever he was going to say quickly vanished, as the tree in the jungle gym twitched to life. A branch grew longer and lashed out, wrapping around Remus and plucking him up from the ground.

“Remus!” Roman cried, unsheathing his sword and running towards the tree. However, he was quickly halted by vines sprouting up from the ground and coiling around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Remy grit their teeth together and unsheathed their daggers, going back to back with Janus and glaring around the overgrown playground. Janus’s gaze flickered about as well, trying to pinpoint where their attacker was.

“Hey! Put me down, don’t you know what happens to trees when lightning is involved?!” Remus demanded, eyes flickering with green electricity.

“Remus, don’t! You’ll set this whole park on fire,” Janus warned, and although Remus growled in annoyance, his eyes shifted back to their regular forest green hue.

“Aww, c’mon Warper! I love a little arson, don’t you?” a voice teased. Janus whipped their gaze away from Remus to see Bombshell standing a few feet away from them and Remy. Wyldflower was standing beside her too, although it took Janus a moment to pick her out- she blended in rather well with the park’s foliage.

“But baaabe! It’d ruin my pretty plants.” Wyldflower pouted. Bombshell chuckled and leaned over to peck her cheek.

“I suppose that’s true… now what do you want,” she said, voice turning from soft and fond to dangerous and protective in an instant.

“We need your help,” Janus said simply. Vines began to peek up and curl around his ankles, and he frowned at Wyldflower and Bombshell.

“Uh… Warper?” Remy asked nervously. Janus glanced over their shoulder to see that Remy had vines creeping up their legs, then turned back to Bombshell and Wyldflower with a slight glare.

“Like hell we’d help you! We just got out of the Academy’s prison, and we’re not exactly eager to go back,” Wyldflower fumed, and the vines crawled further, reaching Janus’s waist.

“You helped Agent Logan Thorne, didn’t you? Why are we so different?” Janus taunted.

“Warper, I don’t think that’s helping!” Remy hissed, but Janus ignored them and continued to glare at the two rogues.

“The kid had a death wish, searching  _ you _ out! And I can’t help but notice that he’s not with you,” Bombshell shot back. The vines around Janus suddenly cinched tight, and his companions must have gotten similar treatment as he heard a chorus of pained grunts and yelps from the three of them. Janus grit their teeth and teleported out of his bonds, getting closer to Bombshell and Wyldflower.

“That’s because Logan- and Shadowling and the Doctor too- were taken by the Academy. We need you to cause a distraction so we can get them out,” Janus said through gritted teeth. Vines curled up towards him again, but he teleported our of reach once more, ignoring the sweat beginning to trail down his brow.

“What’s in it for us?” Bombshell asked warily.

“You said you like committing arson… why not do so to Academy property?” Janus offered. Bombshell pondered this for a moment.

“Well… I suppose we never did thank the kid properly for breaking us out,” she said, looking to Wyldflower pleadingly. Wyldflower looked unimpressed, but she let go of Remus, Roman, and Remy. Remus fell to the ground with a thump, and Roman quickly scrambled over to help his twin up.

“Fine. But we’re doing this for the kid. Not you,” Wyldflower said with a glare to Janus.

“At least we can agree with that wholeheartedly,” Janus replied smoothly.

“For the kids it is, then. So when do Wyldflower and I get to destroy Academy property?” Bombshell asked with a mischievous grin. A little half-smirk curled Janus’s lips, and he began to explain their plan to their new tentative colleagues.


	18. Distractions and Betrayals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -reverse x-men elitist thinking (in other words, supers believing they're better than humans bc they have powers)  
> -violence  
> -crying  
> -screaming  
> -unconsciousness  
> -character not acting like themself  
> -amnesia  
> -mild explosions

It had seemed like the next night was never going to come. And yet it came all too quickly for Patton. Was he even sure he wanted to do this? Part of him was screaming at him, ridiculing him for going against everything he had ever known. But another part of him was somehow louder, telling him to make up for the mistakes he had made in the past. There was another voice that was a bit more timid, a quiet hope that maybe at the end of all of this, things could work out with Janus too. But one problem at a time- Patton had to survive this before he could think about the future.

Patton was pacing back and forth in a private meeting room, not entirely sure what his gameplan was. He had asked Agent Dice to meet him there, and Patton was somehow going to get the other agent to change Logan back. Patton hated using his brute strength sometimes… but in this situation, he was afraid it was going to be necessary. But yet again, maybe Patton was getting ahead of himself. Surely he could have a civilized conversation with this other agent… couldn’t he?

“Agent Carter! You wanted to see me?” a voice asked. Patton halted his pacing, and looked up to see Agent Dice standing in the doorway.

“Yes, please come in,” Patton said, hoping his anxiety didn’t show. Agent Dice stepped in and closed the door behind him, flashing Patton a charming smile.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing the great Agent Carter in private?” he asked, something about the smile on his face and cheerful tone of his voice sending Patton’s insides squirming.

“Just Patton, please. And… it’s about Logan,” he said, not wanting to drag this out longer than he had to. Agent Dice frowned.

“Has he relapsed? Trying to puzzle out what Shadowling had done to him was a difficult task- I’m terribly sorry if Agent Thorne’s mental state has slipped again, I’ll take care of it right away-”

“No,” Patton cut him off with a glare. Agent Dice merely raised an eyebrow.

“Pardon me?” he asked slowly.

“I’m beginning to think that Shadowling hadn’t done anything to Logan at all- the files say you  _ reconfigured _ his mind,” Patton said, tone becoming accusatory as he walked over to the meeting table, and picked up a print-out of the mission log. He held it out to Agent Dice, who took it with a wary expression.

“I- I’m sorry for the… lack of tact this file has. There wasn’t exactly a good way to word it- but you have to understand that I did what I had to. Logan’s mind was so far gone because of Shadowling’s influence,” Agent Dice said sympathetically, and Patton bristled at the tone.

“But he doesn’t even remember anything that happened in the subway tunnels! And there’s been something very off about him ever since you- you did  _ that _ to him,” Patton fumed. Agent Dice put up his hands placatingly.

“Patton, you saw what Logan was like when you rescued him. And Shadowling’s influence reached so deep that I had to block those memories! Otherwise, Logan would have no hope of being himself,” Agent Dice explained, expression filled with comfort and concern.

“Stop lying to me,” Patton growled. Agent Dice’s expression flashed with surprise.

“What?” he asked with pure shock.

“I’ve taken the time to read through every other mission log involving Shadowling. None of them describe him majorly altering someone’s mind. All he can do is make people see what they’re afraid of- and I think Logan saw a fear buried deep within himself that made him question everything he thought he knew… and I should have listened to his anxieties about the Academy sooner,” Patton said firmly, glaring down Agent Dice. He maintained his shocked and appalled composure for a moment or two, until it melted away into pure disgust. He reached a hand out, and suddenly Patton felt like someone was poking at the back of his brain.

“It’s a shame, really. I thought I never was going to have to influence your mind at this rate… you used to blindly follow whatever the Academy told you to do- although I guess I was influencing the council, who in turn told you what to do, so  _ technically _ I did influence you indirectly… but details, details,” Agent Dice said with a shrug. The poking sensation turned into more of a jabbing sensation, and Patton let out a pained grunt behind clenched teeth.

“What are you talking about?” Patton growled.

“Don’t be so naive… you were almost right on the money, Patton. There  _ wasn’t _ anything wrong with Logan. But I couldn’t have him blabbering on about how the Academy was hurting people, could I? That would ruin the story,” Agent Dice said with absolute conviction, as if what he was saying made complete sense.

“Ruin the story?! Life isn’t a story, it’s messy and complicated, but that’s what makes living life worth it! Because you can work through those complications and savor those truly happy moments!” Patton protested, trying to move towards Agent Dice, but finding that his limbs had stiffened in place because of the telepath’s encroaching grip on his mind.

“How interesting… you know, Shadowling said something very similar to me… maybe I should have kept a closer eye on you,” Agent Dice said with a growl, and the jabbing sensation turned into a singular spike driving into Patton’s mind. Patton let out a strained cry between clenched teeth, muscles trembling as he tried to fight against Agent Dice’s control.

“Maybe you should have,” Patton grunted, managing to move a step closer even though his muscles screamed in protest. A nagging voice told him to just give in, but he ignored it and took another step forward.

“You’re just as stubborn as Logan was. I wonder if you’ll scream like he did when I erase those pesky memories of yours,” Agent Dice said thoughtfully, a cruel grin twisting his expression.

“No! I won’t let you hurt anyone like this anymore,” Patton shouted, taking another step despite how excruciating it felt.

“But that’s where you’re wrong! Because once I figure out who else you’ve been blabbing to about your realizations, I’ll erase your memories and go and erase theirs too. Then the narrative will be fixed, and things can continue as normal,” Agent Dice scoffed.

“Normal?! Living in forced ignorance is your definition of normal?!” Patton shot back, trying to move forward again, but instead, let out a yelp of pain as the figurative spike drove into his mind further. Things were beginning to feel hazy- he desperately tried to cling to the memories of Logan, Missy, Pascal, Emile and- and Janus. He had to stay strong, he had to do this if he wanted any chance to reconcile with Janus. Agent Dice let out a frustrated groan, and the mental spike drove deeper and forced a choked sob out of Patton.

“What  _ is _ it with you agents and pining over rogues?! After this is all over, I’m going to go out and kill every last rogue myself if I have to!” Agent Dice fumed.

“No!” Patton cried, and with a burst of effort, he launched himself at Agent Dice. The two of them tumbled to the ground, wrestling for control- but then Agent Dice pushed at Patton’s mind again, and in a matter of moments Patton found himself flat on his back with Agent Dice on top of him.

“Brains are better than brawn, Patton,” he spat. He pushed at Patton’s mind once more, forcing a scream out of him and causing tears to stream down his face. He struggled against Agent Dice’s grip on his mind, but his thoughts were beginning to slip through his fingers like grains of sand- it was just so hard to think, he should just give in…

Alarms blared through the facility and startled both Patton and Agent Dice. It was enough for Patton to shove Agent Dice off of him and scramble to his feet, although the telepath was still firmly rooted in Patton’s mind. Agent Dice stood up as well, dusting himself up and glaring up at the alarm. He looked to Patton again, and his eyes went wide.

“You were distracting me,” he growled.

“And trying to get you to fix Logan, but whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess,” Patton said with a shrug. Agent Dice’s expression twisted with anger.

“I don’t have time to deal with you- I’ll kill your precious Warper and fix your memories later,” Agent Dice spat, viciously pulling back from Patton’s mind. Patton’s limbs went lax all at once, and he fell to the floor with a groan. His vision blurred, and the last thing he could make out was Agent Dice exiting the room before everything fell into darkness.

* * *

Missy, Pascal, and that new kid, Emile, were acting very odd. Logan wasn’t entirely sure why, but those three seemed determined to keep him from… something. He wasn’t quite sure what that something was, but they were determined to stay with him at all times. In this case, they were all crowded in Logan’s quarters.

“How about we play a game? Like when we were kids… y’know, so we can show Emile the ropes?” Missy offered with a tremulous smile. Logan raised an eyebrow.

“How about hide and seek?” Logan suggested. Pascal and Missy stiffened, but Emile let out a giggle. Logan smirked- perhaps he would be able to get away from his entourage after all… he just had to sway Emile’s feelings on something and Missy and Pascal would surely follow suit.

“I already played that! With Missy and Pascal, cause I fell on top of them by mistake when I was hiding in the vents… I’m not very good at hide and seek,” Emile explained sheepishly.

“That’s right! Hide and seek just makes Emile really nervous now,” Missy piped up with an incredibly forced laugh. Logan frowned and opened his mouth to comment on her strange bout of laughter, but Pascal spoke up before he got the chance to.

“How about we play a board or card game? Maybe one with some strategy involved, you’ve always liked those sorts of games,” they suggested. Logan resisted the urge to sigh. He had more important things to be doing… but might as well play along with his friends.

“How about Clue, then?” he suggested. Relieved smiles came over Missy, Pascal, and Emile’s faces.

“Sure, gimme a sec and I’ll grab it from-” the rest of Pascal’s sentence got cut off by alarms blaring. Logan jumped to his feet, and Pascal hurried to step in front of the door and block his path. Logan frowned at them.

“Pascal, what are you doing?” he asked.

“We can’t let you leave,” Pascal blurted, and Logan saw the beginnings of fire dancing in their eyes.

“I’ve suspected that you three have been trying to keep me from something this whole time, but this is getting ridiculous,” Logan scoffed.

“We’re keeping you from hurting yourself,” Missy said, and when Logan turned to face her, he was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

“I- Missy, what are you talking about?” Logan asked, bewildered at his best friend’s behavior.

“Logan, you haven’t been yourself lately, and- and we’re a little worried,” Pascal continued.

“I am perfectly fine, I assure you,” Logan said, voice dipping to a near growl.

“No, you’re not, and that proves it! We just don’t want you to rush into a mission and end up hurting yourself again,” Missy protested, rising to her feet and wings puffing out defensively behind her. Emile hid behind Missy slightly, peeking around her leg to look up at Logan with concern.

“You didn’t take Emile to see Agent Dice,” Logan realized. This child was still under Shadowling’s influence, and he had gotten Missy and Pascal on his side too.

“Because there’s nothing wrong with him. And there wasn’t anything wrong with you either until Agent Dice did… whatever he did to you,” Missy fumed. Logan frowned, and his thoughts drifted back to when he first met Agent Dice… only to find that he couldn’t entirely remember their first meeting. But- but Agent Dice had helped him, hadn’t he? Logan tried to remember the exact circumstances, but trying to think about it gave him a headache, and he shook his head.

“I- I don’t-” Logan’s sentence was cut off by his communicator beeping, and he put a hand to the device and answered the call.

“Agent Thorne, I regret to inform you this, but Agent Carter has been compromised. It’s likely that Agent Frasque and Agent Laude have been compromised as well,” Agent Dice’s voice came. Logan’s eyes widened, and in an instant, blue energy danced in his palms. He shot a blast at Missy and struck her square in the shoulder. The blow threw her back into the wall, taking Emile down with her. Missy’s expression was filled with utter betrayal, and with a jolt, Logan realized her expression was familiar somehow… like he had already seen a version of these events carry out. Logan whirled around to face Pascal and saw them surrounded by a blazing inferno, a mix of panic and anger in their eyes. Logan was yet again hit with a strange sense of deja vu but ignored it to fire a blast of blue energy at Pascal. The force of the blast meeting Pascal’s fire blew them apart from each other, but Logan managed to stay on his feet while Pascal flew backwards so hard that they crashed through the door and out into the hall. Logan stepped out of his quarters with a grimace, carefully stepping around Pascal’s still form.

“Agent Frasque and Agent Laude have been dealt with,” Logan said into his communicator.

“Good. Meet me at Shadowling’s glass containment, I suspect that whatever is happening at the main entrance is a distraction to break Shadowling out,” Agent Dice replied.

“Understood,” Logan replied, heading off to face his greatest enemy once again.


	19. Rogue Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -crying  
> -electrocution  
> -screaming  
> -referring to a person like an object  
> -reverse x-men elitist thinking (in other words, supers believing they're better than humans bc they have powers)  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -teasing/banter  
> -violence  
> -explosions  
> -kissing  
> -swearing

Virgil had given up hope at this point. He was fairly certain it had been days since he had been taken by the Academy, and he hadn’t seen anyone besides Agent Dice and Logan. But he couldn’t give in- on the off chance that Janus, Remus, Roman, Remy, and Emile were still out there somewhere… he couldn’t face their disappointment if he willingly became a weapon. But he wasn’t sure if he could take much more of seeing a brainwashed Logan, or more of Agent Dice hurting Logan in front of him. Maybe if he did what Agent Dice asked, he could find a way to put a stop to it, or somehow run away with Logan when he got the chance to… Virgil sighed. It could never work. Every half-brained idea Virgil came up with seemed too impossible to even attempt.

Suddenly, alarms started blaring, causing Virgil to practically jump out of his skin. Soon after, the doors burst open, and Virgil felt tears gathering in the corners of his eyes as he saw the individuals who strode in. Janus was leading the charge, closely followed by Remus, Roman, and Remy. Virgil let out a gasp, tears streaming freely down his face as he pressed his hands to the glass.

“Virgil! We’re going to get you out of here- Remus, can you disable the-”

“Way ahead of you,” Remus cut Janus off, slamming his electrically-charged fists on the panel in front of Virgil’s glass containment. The electricity traveled over the panel, and then- to everyone’s subsequent horror, into the glass containment. Virgil screamed in pain as the electricity traveled through his form, and he fell to his knees as tears blurred his vision. He heard shouts and garbled voices, and he blinked away the tears and pain to look up. Remus was trembling, eyes wide as he babbled apologies and Roman comforted him, insisting that it wasn’t his fault. Remy’s hands were over their mouth in shock, and Janus had come closer to the glass containment, a gloved hand against the glass.

“Virgil! Please talk to me- are you alright?” he asked, eyes wide with concern.

“I- I’m okay. Okay as I can be- I should have said something, Agent Dice added a function to the panel that can let supers channel their powers into here,” Virgil said with a shudder.

“Then we’ll find another way to get you out, maybe one of your uncles or Remy can find the off switch, or I can teleport in there and teleport us out- but I promised you all those years ago that I would keep you safe and protect you, and I intend to keep that promise,” Janus said firmly. Virgil gave him a weak smile, and placed his hand up against the glass, right over Janus’s.

“I know you’ll keep me safe, you always have. But you have to stay safe too- and teleporting in here won’t do that, there’s a power-dampening field within the glass,” Virgil explained.

“Well, that’s at least one more thing we know about this damn cylinder. Have you three figured anything out yet?” Janus asked, glancing over their shoulder to look at Remus, Roman, and Remy.

“Sorry gurl, this isn’t exactly like picking a lock,” Remy huffed, glaring down at the control panel.

“Maybe we should just start pushing buttons?” Roman suggested, looking incredibly out of his element.

“No! We could just hurt him again!” Remus protested, smacking Roman’s arm.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Roman demanded.

“For coming up with an idea that could hurt our nephew again!” Remus scowled.

“Cut it out you two, that’s not helping!” Remy huffed, glaring up at the twins. Roman and Remus both looked a little bashful, muttering out apologies and refusing to meet their gaze. Janus sighed, and looked back to Virgil.

“I will get you out of here- even if I have to break this glass myself,” Janus said fiercely. Virgil smiled, but he frankly wasn’t feeling too confident. Janus, Remus, Roman, and Remy had to get out of there, and Virgil fully intended to tell them that… except they had a few sudden visitors.

“Did you really think it would be that easy to run away with my weapon again? I’ve learned my lesson from last time,” Agent Dice said cooly as he strolled in without a care in the world. His task force from the fight in the subway tunnels was following behind him, as well as Logan. Janus whirled around, face paling slightly when he saw the five agents striding in.

“He’s not an object, nor does he belong to anyone- least of all  _ you _ ,” they spat, glaring down Agent Dice. The telepath’s expression twisted with disgust.

“At least with me, he has a purpose,” he scoffed.

“Purpose?! People don’t  _ need _ to have a purpose- it’s perfectly fine to just exist! And sure, having something fulfilling to do in one’s life can be beneficial, but that’s up to the individual to decide. No one else,” Janus fumed, hands curling into fists at his sides. Agent Dice rolled his eyes.

“Don’t preach to me, rogue. You threw away your purpose years ago,” he snarled.

“I didn’t throw away my purpose, I  _ found _ my purpose when I stopped being the Academy’s puppet,” Janus snapped. Agent Dice’s scowl turned thoughtful, and Virgil got a nauseating feeling in his stomach.

“Then maybe you’re better off as a puppet,” Agent Dice pondered with a cruel grin. He reached out with one hand and closed his eyes, and Janus near-instantly cried out in pain and clutched at their head.

“Janus!” Virgil screamed, pounding on the glass and feeling helpless as the person who had raised him crumpled to the ground in pain.

A sudden burst of green electricity shot at Agent Dice’s feet, blowing him back and breaking his focus over Janus, who let out a shaky breath and slumped to one side, hands falling into his lap. Remus had darted over to stand protectively in front of them, electricity dancing over his form. And while Virgil couldn’t see his eyes, Virgil was willing to bet that his eyes were glowing with power too.

“Touch my family again, and I will fry you,” Remus growled, the lights flickering with his statement. Agent Dice scowled, and looked to his task force and Logan as he struggled to his feet.

“Deal with the rogues. But Warper is mine,” Agent Dice ordered with a growl. The agents leapt into action at the telepath’s command. The hydrokinetic agent, the agent with the scorpion’s tail, and the agent with shadows creeping along their form took on Roman and Remy, while Logan and Agent Dice stalked towards Janus and Remus.

“What did I just say about people not belonging to anyone,” Janus muttered, rising to his feet with Remus’s help.

“I’ll deal with Starboy while you have fun with our new friend?” Remus suggested.

“Don’t hurt him- he’s still Logan, after all,” Janus warned. Remus grinned, electricity sparking over his form once again.

“Don’t worry, I’m only gonna rough up Virgil’s boyfriend a bit- haven’t given him a proper shovel talk yet anyway,” Remus teased with a wink in Virgil’s direction, before darting over to intercept Logan. Virgil would have given Remus a witty retort full of embarrassment and denial, but he was far too panicked watching the chaos ensue to do so.

The agent who manipulated shadows had created a sword of shadows and was facing off Roman- the sword would dissipate anytime Roman’s own blade met it, then reformed to slash at Roman again. And the shadow-sword did seem capable of doing damage if the tear in Roman’s cream cloak and the faint trickle of blood on his arm was anything to go by. Remy was busy with the scorpion agent and the hydrokinetic one but managed to hold them off fairly well. When the scorpion agent reared their tail back, Remy dodged the attack just in time- and the agent ended up hitting the hydrokinetic, who went down with a cry.

Across the room, Logan and Remus were locked in combat, beams of starlight clashing with strikes of electricity and causing powerful explosive bursts in the air. Meanwhile, Janus and Agent Dice flitted around each other, Janus teleporting to land a hit then teleporting away again. Agent Dice was trying to get a hold on Janus’s mind once more, but their near-constant teleporting was making it hard for him to get a lock.

Virgil would have continued watching the chaos helplessly, feeling absolutely powerless to do anything- but then a stray collision of starlight and electricity hit the control panel. Several things happened at once. The lights flickered out almost completely- only a few of the overhead lights remained on, but they flickered and cast ominous shadows across the room. That near darkness caused a chorus of surprised and confused cries, and the various fights ceased, at least for a few moments. One of the more important things to happen in that instant was the power-dampening field around Virgil lowering, and the front of his glass containment swinging open. Virgil stepped out almost tentatively, and looked up to see a mixture of horror and anger on Agent Dice’s face. Virgil smirked at the sight. Agent Dice had done so much to him- imprisoned him twice, hurt him, hurt his friends and family- and now Virgil was free. And Agent Dice was going to pay for what he had done.

* * *

Pascal woke up slowly, feeling pleasantly warm. Well, they were always warm, but this warmth was different, somehow. It felt more like the contented feeling a hug gave them, or how chocolate would melt into freshly toasted marshmallows on a smore. They woke up completely, eyes fluttering open to see Missy leaning over them, gazing at them with concern. Pascal began to feel warm for an entirely different reason.

“Took you long enough to wake up,” Missy said, trying to go for a teasing tone, but her voice was too thick and her eyes were too watery for it to really come across.

“Should’ve kissed me awake, Angel,” Pascal teased.

“Because you’re a handsome prinx?” Missy shot back, parroting Pascal’s words from the code red mission a few days ago- it was hard to believe how much things had changed in that short span of time.

“You know it,” Pascal replied with a grin. Missy rolled her eyes but leaned down to kiss Pascal’s forehead anyhow.

“Better?” she asked dryly, although there was a soft smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

“Hmmm… I would’ve preferred a kiss somewhere else,” Pascal hummed, tongue darting out to wet their lips.

“There’s a child present,” Missy deadpanned. Pascal blinked in surprise, and glanced over to see that Emile was crouched on Pascal’s other side, his hands gently resting on their abdomen. He drew his hands back sheepishly, and Pascal realized that the pleasantly warm sensation had been coming from  _ him _ .

“It’s okay! My parents have kissed in front of me before,” Emile said with a shrug. Missy let out a light laugh and helped Pascal up.

“We’ve got other things to worry about- Logan had been talking to Agent Dice before he attacked us,” Missy said urgently. Pascal’s eyes widened.

“Which means something happened to Patton,” they said with hollow shock in their tone.

“Which means the rogues are probably in trouble too,” Missy added grimly.

“Shit- what do we do?” Pascal asked with a gasp, running a hand over their head, the usual soothing texture of their buzzed hair doing nothing to comfort them.

“Again, there’s a child present so watch the language… but I think we should go find Patton first. We could use someone with invulnerability with the state Logan’s in right now,” Missy said. Part of Pascal wanted to mention that they didn’t even know if Patton was alive, but they decided not to bring it up.

“Patton was supposed to be in that private meeting room with him, wasn’t he? We should check there first,” Pascal suggested instead of voicing their worries about Patton.

“Sounds good,” Missy said, first taking Emile’s hand, then Pascal’s, and proceeded to drag the both of them down the hall.

* * *

They reached the private meeting rooms rather quickly, and without running into anyone- the alarms were still going off, and most agents were probably dealing with Bombshell and Wyldflower. However when they got to the meeting room that Patton was supposed to confront Agent Dice in, they found that the door was locked.

“Now what?” Missy fretted, and Pascal let go of her hand to grab the door handle.

“You two might wanna back up a bit,” Pascal warned. Missy and Emile did as they were told, and Pascal gave a nod of approval. Then they focused on the fire in their veins, channeling it to the hand resting on the door handle. The handle began to melt, and soon enough there was no door handle to speak of, just a pile of molten metal on the ground. Pascal shoved the door open from there, and let out a gasp when he saw Patton sprawled out on the ground. They tried to step back and keep Missy and Emile from seeing Patton’s too-still form, but Emile had already burst into the room. He scrambled to Patton’s side, laying his hands on Patton’s chest.

“He’s just sleeping!” Emile cried, and it was then that Pascal noticed the slight rising and falling of his chest. They let out a relieved sigh, their whole body sagging with the exhalation. Emile closed his eyes, focusing for a moment or two- and suddenly Patton sat bolt upright, knocking the small child over.

“What- Missy, Pascal?! Oh and Emile, sorry about that kiddo,” Patton rambled sheepishly, helping Emile back up.

“Patton, what happened?” Missy asked, brow furrowed with concern.

“Agent Dice- he tried to take control of me. I did my best to resist, but then the alarms went off and he forced me to pass out. But enough about me- we need to get to where Shadow- Virgil’s being kept. The rogues need our help,” Patton explained, voice full of determination as he rose to his feet. Missy, Pascal, and Emile all nodded in response. The three agents and the youngest rogue then headed off to save the family of rogues- a family that maybe, just maybe, they would end up becoming a part of.


	20. Fractured Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -violence  
> -teasing/banter  
> -character not acting like themself  
> -amnesia  
> -character death in dream  
> -character torture in dream  
> -crying  
> -kissing  
> -mind reading/manipulation  
> -hugging  
> -swearing  
> -explosion mention  
> -talk of killing a villainous character

The room was silent before absolute pandemonium broke out once more. Agent Dice barked out an order, and all the agents in the room (minus Agent Dice, who was being kept occupied by Remus and Janus) rushed towards Virgil. Luckily, Remy was able to grab the scorpion agent by the tail and throw them into the shadow agent, which left… Logan. His eyes were glowing with blue energy behind his glasses, and frankly not much of his hair was successfully staying in his bun. All the flyaway strands of hair made him look unhinged and fearsome- and yet Virgil couldn’t help but marvel at how attractive Logan was to him. Here he was- his enemy turned friend turned enemy again, and Virgil couldn’t really think of anything besides how frustratingly pretty he was.

Virgil shook his head and came back to his senses. He had to stay on guard- how he felt about Logan didn’t matter when Logan wasn’t really himself. Speaking of which- Logan had just fired a volley of blasts at him. Virgil managed to dodge each one, pitch-black eyes glinting with amusement.

“Gonna have to do better than that, Starboy,” he teased. Logan’s expression scrunched up with contemplation for a moment, but it was gone as quickly as it came. All the same, Virgil’s eyes widened. Was Logan remembering, or had Virgil only imagined that look on his face?

“My name is Agent Thorne, Shadowling,” Logan growled. Virgil took a deep breath, and thought back to the night he had first encountered Logan.

“You get all hung up on me calling you Starboy, but then you call me ‘Shadowling?’” Virgil scoffed, and yet again Logan got that scrunchy, contemplative look on his face as if he were trying to remember something.

“I- stop playing your mind games,” Logan demanded, although it came out a little weak. Virgil shuffled a step forward. Logan was too busy trying to process what Virgil had said to notice.

“The only one who’s been playing mind games is Agent Dice,” Virgil said slowly, continuing to move towards Logan. Logan put his hands to his ears, as if he was a petulant child ignoring their parent.

“No, stop! He- he helped me…” Logan trailed off, seeming like he was trying to convince himself rather than Virgil. He was so distraught that he didn’t notice Virgil had gotten closer- Virgil could have reached out and touched him, if he had wanted to. And boy, did Virgil want to. But Logan still wasn’t really himself- sure, he was having doubts- but at any moment he could snap and attack Virgil. So Virgil had to incapacitate Logan before he got the chance, and then they could figure out how to get Logan back after they got away from the Academy. But maybe Virgil could get through to him before that… Logan, the real Logan, had to be in there somewhere… right?

“C’mon Starboy, come back to me,” Virgil pleaded softly. Logan’s expression twisted with rage, and he launched himself at Virgil. The two of them toppled to the ground, and Virgil managed to twist around so that he was on top, hands pinning Logan’s wrists to the floor. Logan squirmed beneath him, hands balled into fists and eyes glowing bright blue as he tried to break Virgil’s hold. And before Virgil could really think about it, he used his powers on Logan in a moment of pure instinct.

Virgil’s vision was flooded with the same nightmares Virgil had seen the first time he had used his powers on Logan. The winged person with short and curly blond hair, with her wings torn to shreds. The person trapped in an inferno of rage and panic. The man with gray eyes and glasses, crushed beneath a building. But to Virgil’s surprise, there were more fears lurking deep in Logan’s subconscious. Virgil pushed deeper with his powers- and Virgil saw himself. Not like he had seen himself when he had peered into Agent Dice’s fears, but rather he saw a fear for his safety. He saw Agent Dice using his telepathy on Virgil, then when the Virgil in Logan’s nightmare didn’t give in, he saw Agent Dice using more drastic measures. He saw himself being tortured, until Agent Dice went too far and Virgil was viewing his own dead form. The nightmare shifted and trembled, until it wasn’t just Virgil dead- his family of rogues was dead too.

Virgil lurched back, tears streaming down his face and sobs getting caught in his throat. Had those really been  _ Logan’s _ fears he saw? Or did Virgil somehow see his own fears? Maybe Agent Dice had done something to Logan, made it so that if Virgil used his powers on him, it would backfire. That seemed like it could be a likely scenario- or at least that’s what Virgil thought until he saw the tears streaming down Logan’s face as well. Then Logan opened his mouth to speak, and Virgil knew the instant he spoke that those fears had been real.

“Virgil?” he gasped out, and Virgil let out a near-hysterical laugh of pure joy. Logan remembered him, he used his name! He let go of Logan’s wrists, moving to sit up- but Logan was way ahead of him. He sat up, curling an arm around Virgil’s waist to keep him from toppling over. Virgil’s face flushed at the realization that he was now more or less sitting in Logan’s lap, and at every point that Logan was pressed up against him burned like starlight in the best way possible. Logan’s free hand reached up to brush away Virgil’s tears, and he let it rest on Virgil’s cheek. Virgil didn’t think he could blush harder, but somehow he managed it.

“Logan?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. Logan’s lips quirked up into a soft, fond smile, causing butterflies to spark in Virgil’s stomach and his heart rate to beat thunderously. And then Logan kissed him.

Virgil was about sure he died, or was hallucinating, or  _ something _ . Because there was no way that Logan, the super he had been more or less pining after for a few days now, and who had previously just tried to attack him, was kissing him. Logan seemed to sense Virgil’s short-circuited state, and he pulled back with an eyebrow quirked up in concern. He gazed into Virgil’s eyes, and then he went white as a sheet.

“Your eyes are black,” he said, voice sounding a little choked. Virgil’s brain was still trying to catch up a bit, and part of him felt a little hurt that Logan was so freaked out after kissing him, but that small part was heavily outweighed by the concern Virgil had for him.

“I- what?” Virgil asked, internally cursing at his lack of eloquence. Logan swallowed nervously, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“My- my memories are rather frazzled. When you pulled those fears from my subconscious and broke me from Agent Dice’s influence… I, for some reason, thought that we were closer than we actually are,” Logan stammered out, refusing to meet Virgil’s eyes.

“I- um, the kiss was kind of… nice, actually. But I think we should talk about this when we’re not deep in the Academy’s facility,” Virgil said, glancing over to where Agent Dice was still trying to hold off Remus and Janus- as well as Remy and Roman, who had joined the fray too.

“I- right. What do we do?” Logan asked, swallowing nervously as he regarded the battle. Virgil began to ponder this, but his train of thought was interrupted by a cry of frustration from Agent Dice. Janus, Remus, Roman, and Remy were all thrown back by an invisible force, and each of them fell to the ground, clutching at their heads and trying to shake off Agent Dice’s hold on them.

“Enough! I’m tired of you rogues ruining everything!” he cried, glaring up over at Virgil, who still was sitting in Logan’s lap. Virgil scrambled to his feet, standing defensively in front of Logan.

“Let them go!” Virgil cried, hands balling into fists at his sides.

“What are you going to do about it, Shadowling?” Agent Dice snarled, and with a flick of his hands, he did something with his telepathy that caused Janus, Remus, Roman, and Remy to cry out in pain. Virgil was at a loss for words. He didn’t know  _ what _ he was going to do. But luckily, Virgil didn’t have to make a decision. Because the door (and part of the wall that surrounded it) burst in like an explosion had hit it, and when the dust cleared- Agent Carter, the man in Logan’s nightmare vision, was standing in the wake of rubble and destruction. The winged agent and the pyrokinetic agent were on either side of him, and in the winged agent’s arms was Emile.

“Sorry to burst in unannounced!” Patton said cheerfully, grinning from ear to ear. Agent Dice whirled around and scowled.

“I thought I dealt with you already,” he growled.

“The Academy is supposed to help people in need and put a stop to tyranny. But you’ve twisted it so far beyond recognition, and there is nothing that will stop me from righting what you’ve wronged,” Agent Carter fumed.

“You’re an idealistic fool,” Agent Dice spat.

“Maybe, but I’m the idealistic fool who’s gonna bring you down,” Patton shot back, lunging at Agent Dice. He dodged out of the way, breaking his hold over the rogues to focus on Patton. While Patton kept Agent Dice occupied, the agents that had been at his side rushed over to Virgil and Logan, and the rogues ran over too.

“Dad! Babi!” Emile cried, scrambling out of the winged agent’s arms and over to Roman and Remy. Remy fell to their knees and pulled Emile into their arms, and Roman knelt down and wrapped his arms around both of them.

“Told ya we’d keep him safe,” the pyrokinetic agent said softly. Remy looked up at them, tears in their eyes.

“Thank you,” they gasped out. Virgil was so busy watching the heartwarming scene that he hadn’t even noticed that Janus and Remus were standing right in front of him. Janus seemed conflicted, and hesitantly held his arms out. Virgil let out a choked-off sob and rushed into Janus’s arms. And while he was a fair amount taller than Janus, Virgil had never felt so small and vulnerable. Remus stepped closer to wrap his arms around the both of them, and if he noticed both Virgil’s and Janus’s tears, he didn’t comment on it.

“This is… sweet, but we need to put a stop to Agent Dice. He’s been manipulating the entire Academy for years- the Academy might crumble apart if we put a stop to him once and for all, or it could even have the chance to reform,” Logan said, causing both pairs of families to break apart.

“I’m all good with frying him,” Remus said darkly, eyes sparking with green electricity. Logan frowned.

“The only problem with that is he could likely sense the attack coming, possibly even take control of your mind and force you to hurt someone else,” Logan pointed out.

“So what do we do?” Janus asked, eyeing Logan warily.

“Do something that he can’t stop once it starts. Bring the building down on him,” Logan suggested. Various looks of surprise came over the rogues’ and agents’ faces.

“Y’know, if Agent Dice hadn’t messed with your head, you would’ve made one hell of a rogue,” Remus commented.

“How do you propose we do that, then?” Janus asked. Logan glanced between Remus and the pyrokinetic agent.

“With the help of Remus and Pascal. In previous encounters I’ve had with them, both of their abilities can cause explosions when met with mine,” Logan explained.

“Well you don’t have to ask me twice to cause some property damage! What do you think, kid?” Remus asked with a grin, turning to Pascal.

“Hey, this dude fucked with my best friend’s head. I’m definitely in,” they replied with a grin.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll inform Patton of what’s happening and help him keep Agent Dice occupied. Those of you who aren’t going to be causing explosions, get to safety,” Janus said, looking to Roman and Remy. The two of them exchanged nervous glances, but nodded.

“Hold on, there is no way that I’m just gonna leave you guys,” Virgil protested.

“Yeah, me neither! Logan’s my best friend too, and I wanna help!” the winged agent said fiercely.

“You’ll only end up being in harm’s way- besides, the more of us that are here, the more of us that Agent Dice could take control of,” Logan pointed out, looking between the winged agent and Virgil.

“Logan-” she started, but was cut off by Logan speaking up again.

“Please, Missy. It’ll be okay.”

“Fine. But let me do one thing,” she huffed. Missy walked over to Pascal, and to the surprise of nearly everyone there, pulled them into a kiss.

“What- whatever happened to ‘there’s a child present?’” Pascal stammered out, looking incredibly flustered.

“Good luck kisses don’t count,” Missy replied cheerfully, walking away from Pascal to stand beside Roman, Remy, and Emile.

“How long has THAT been a thing with you two?” Logan spluttered, eyes wide with disbelief.

“I’ll tell you about it after you collapse this building. So don’t die, nerd,” Missy teased, although her voice was slightly watery with emotion.

“I don’t plan on it. Especially because there’s a very important conversation I need to have with someone after this,” Logan said softly, looking to Virgil. Virgil’s face flushed, and he swallowed nervously.

“Be careful, Starboy,” he murmured, then went to stand with Roman, Remy, Emile, and Missy. Logan gave Virgil a tremulous smile, but nodded firmly. And with that, Janus, Remus, Pascal, and Logan leapt into action, while Virgil, the Sanders-Picanis, and Missy snuck off to safety.


	21. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -violence  
> -reverse x-men elitist thinking  
> -death mention  
> -talk of families being separated  
> -explosions  
> -broken limbs  
> -mind control/manipulation  
> -screaming  
> -hugging  
> -crying  
> -character saying goodbye to loved ones  
> -near character death  
> -villain character death  
> -swearing  
> -injury

Janus teleported over to Patton’s side, and they couldn’t hold back the butterflies if they had tried. Because for a brief moment, Patton looked elated to see him, and suddenly things felt like old times. Janus and Patton, working together to take someone down.

“Throw me up?” Janus asked, and Patton’s face broke out into a grin. He scooped Janus up, and hurled them up into the air- much to the confusion of Agent Dice.

“What the-” he started, but was cut off by Janus teleporting in mid free-fall. Janus reappeared beside Agent Dice, flying into him and knocking him down. Janus teleported to stand beside Patton.

“That felt good,” Patton said with a grin. Janus couldn’t help but smile back.

“Want to have some more fun? We need to keep Agent Dice occupied while Remus, Pascal, and Logan work to bring this building down on top of him. The rest of our group has gotten to safety now,” Janus explained.

“Including your son?” Patton asked softly. Janus flushed slightly.

“Yes, he’s safe. Or at least he should be, if he knows what’s good for him,” they huffed.

“Then let’s make sure he, and everyone else, will be,” Patton said, giving Janus a soft smile that made their insides feel like toasted marshmallows. Janus managed to return the smile before turning back to Agent Dice, who was struggling to his feet.

“You will  _ pay _ for your betrayal,” he spat, glaring at Patton.

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing,” Patton growled. Agent Dice threw his head back and laughed, the sound harsh and grating.

“I didn’t betray the Academy, I merely have been guiding it to its full potential,” Agent Dice snarled.

“Full potential?! Is killing children and tearing families apart the Academy’s purpose?! Because if so, you’ve succeeded,” Janus snapped, hands curling into fists at his sides. Agent Dice opened his mouth to give a retort, but was cut off by an explosion from off to one side. He glanced over to see Remus, Pascal, and Logan running off to create more explosions, and he gritted his teeth in anger.

“What are you-” Agent Dice was cut off by Janus teleporting above him, planting his boots on his chest and pushing off, causing Agent Dice to topple backwards. Janus neatly flipped away, landing in a crouch before rising to his feet again. Agent Dice managed to catch himself before falling completely, and with a growl he rushed at Janus. With a smirk, Janus teleported away before Agent Dice could land a hit on him. Agent Dice didn’t seem to learn from his previous encounters, as he kept rushing at Janus, only for the rogue to teleport away at the last moment.

Janus wasn’t sure how long this went on for. There were bursts of explosions in the background from Remus, Pascal, and Logan, seeming like bizarre gongs of a grandfather clock. They noticed Patton scurrying off to help the agents from Agent Dice’s task force get up and out of the building- leave it to Patton to worry about the enemy’s safety. But those agents weren’t the enemy, not really. They were just more victims of Agent Dice’s control.

Janus scowled and focused back on Agent Dice. He still was lunging at Janus, fingers reaching out to try and grab hold of him, or trying to land blows anywhere he could reach. But Janus managed to stay one step ahead, at least most times. Agent Dice did grab the edge of their jacket at one point, but Janus was able to teleport away, unfortunately tearing their jacket in the process.

It wasn’t until Agent Dice smirked at sweat trailing down Janus’s brow that he realized what Agent Dice was doing. He was trying to tire them out- and frankly, it was working. Janus had been exerting a lot of energy, and his teleporting was getting sloppy. If they weren’t careful, they wouldn’t have the energy to teleport away anymore. 

He dodged another attack, and his gaze happened to meet Patton’s, who had returned from getting the other agents out. He looked absolutely helpless and conflicted, and Janus didn’t need to be a telepath to know that Patton was fretting about potentially getting in the way if he joined the fight. He flashed Patton a quick, reassuring smile, and in an instant, without any communication, the two of them had a plan. It really was like old times, the two of them working in tandem, being able to communicate a plan with a single look.

Janus teleported away again, this time landing a few feet in front of Patton. Agent Dice huffed out an incredulous sigh, and lunged at Janus again. Janus waited until Agent Dice was practically on top of him, then teleported away. Agent Dice’s momentum was against him, and his fist slammed into Patton’s chest. There was a sickening crack, and Patton seemed unaffected while Agent Dice howled in pain. He cradled his injured fist to his chest and glared up at Patton.

“Fine. Enough playing around then,” he growled, his uninjured hand reaching out towards where Janus was standing. A sudden spike of mental energy shot through Janus’s skull, and he screamed in pain as he fell to his knees. Pure pain flooded their senses, and they felt like their atoms were being split apart then messily put back together again- and with dawning horror, Janus realized that’s what was  _ actually _ happening. Agent Dice had latched onto Janus’s mind, forcing him to use his powers over and over and over again, Janus’s form more resembling bursts of fireworks than an actual human form. And they were helpless to stop it.

Then all at once, it stopped. Janus slumped over, his body fully intact once more. He took a few shuddering deep breaths before struggling to his feet. They tilted dangerously to one side, but luckily Patton was beside them in an instant, wrapping an arm around their shoulders and holding them up.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you,” he murmured. Janus didn’t respond at first, gaze swivelling around the room, trying to locate Agent Dice. He spotted him lying on the floor quite a ways away, cracks spiderwebbing around him as if- Janus’s eyes widened.

“Did you…”

“Hurl him across the room? Maybe…” Patton admitted sheepishly.

“My hero,” Janus murmured before they could really think about it. Patton’s face flushed bright red, and Janus was certain he was blushing too.

“Hey lovebirds! We’ve gotta bolt,” Remus’s voice came. Patton and Janus jumped away from each other and turned to see Remus, Pascal, and Logan running towards them. The whole building was trembling, bits of debris already beginning to fall from the ceiling.

“Right,” Janus said, glancing over and noticing that Agent Dice was beginning to stir. The rogues and agents ran out of the building before Agent Dice could fully get up. 

Once outside, Janus spotted Roman, Remy, Emile, Missy, and Virgil standing together across the street. Virgil was pacing back and forth nervously, and his eyes lit up when he saw Janus and the others. Remus broke out into a sprint, giving his twin a big bear hug that lifted him off the ground for a moment or two. Pascal broke out into a run as well, rushing to Missy and pulling her into their arms. Janus, Patton, and Logan simply walked over, although Janus did notice that Logan’s pace was a bit brisker. He came to a stop in front of Virgil, looking uncertain.

“C’mere, Starboy,” Virgil said, holding out his arms. Logan’s face broke out into a grin, and he all but launched himself into Virgil’s arms, hugging him tightly. Janus smiled at the scene, and turned to look back at the building. It was slowly collapsing in on itself, and Janus frowned.

“Janus?” Patton asked softly.

“Someone needs to make sure Agent Dice actually stays inside,” Janus replied, voice hushed, but it caused the group to fall silent all the same.

“What are you saying?” Virgil asked slowly, pulling away from Logan. Janus swallowed nervously, and turned to face his family. He looked to Remus with watery eyes.

“You’ve found your brother now, Remus,” they said, swallowing the lump in their throat.

“ _ Our _ brother,” Remus choked out. Janus ignored him and turned to Virgil.

“Virgil, I’ve never properly said this- but you have been and always will be my son. I’m proud of everything you’ve become… and I’m happy that you and Logan have found each other,” Janus said with a tremulous smile. Tears began streaming down Virgil’s face, and Janus wanted nothing more than to hold and comfort him- but he had to do this. They had to make sure that Agent Dice was taken down. Maybe they were paranoid, but Agent Dice was crafty. He had manipulated the entire Academy without anyone even knowing- certainly he could make it seem like he died. So Janus had to do this, had to make sure that no one else would die at the hands of Agent Dice.

“Jan, don’t you  _ dare _ be a self-sacrificing idiot,” Remy fumed, but there was something absolutely heartbroken in their expression.

“I have to make sure this ends tonight. So that this family and many others can be safe again,” Janus said, taking a step back from the group.

“Janus,” Patton pleaded, voice barely above a whisper. Janus looked to him, and they swore they could feel their already broken heart shatter into a million more pieces. Patton looked so lost and forlorn, just like the night Janus and Remus had run away.

“I’m sorry,” Janus said thickly, trying to communicate all the regret he felt in two words. They knew it wasn’t enough, that nothing could make up for fifteen years of being apart and on two different sides of a battle. But maybe with this, there would be no more divides. No more rogues, no more agents- just supers and people. And with one last watery smile in Patton’s direction, Janus disappeared into a flurry of sparks.

They reappeared in the crumbling building that housed Virgil’s glass containment. The containment had already been crushed by some debris, and with a pang, Janus realized that Virgil would have loved to know that his former prison was destroyed. Janus sighed and shook his head. He had to find Agent Dice.

They spotted him trying to run out of the room, and Janus’s stomach boiled with anger. He teleported above Agent Dice, falling down on top of him and latching his limbs around him in an instant. They teleported them back to the center of the room, where a large section of the ceiling was beginning to cave in.

“You’ll kill us both!” Agent Dice screamed, trying to run away, but Janus just teleported the two of them back to the same spot every time.

“Maybe it’s better that way. The most notorious rogue and the agent manipulating the entire Academy. Maybe with both of us gone, the world can have some peace,” Janus snarled. Agent Dice continued to struggle against him, but it was of no use. Janus was bitter and determined. Agent Dice wasn’t going to hurt anyone ever again.

The ceiling gave a large crack, and finally hurtled towards the ground. Janus looked up, tears finally trailing down their face. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears. He thought of Remus, how as children the younger boy had claimed Janus as his brother, letting him have his last name. He thought of Virgil, of holding him in the middle of the night as he calmed down from a nightmare. He thought of his new family, of Remy’s snark and wit that could match his own, of Roman’s boisterous laugh and nicknames, and Emile’s gentle kindness that seemed almost unbefitting of a child. Lastly, he thought of Patton. Of all of those wasted years- but he thought of the good moments too. Curled up with each other in Patton’s quarters, training sessions that devolved into laughter and kisses, and the fond look Patton got in his eyes by just  _ looking _ at Janus.

For the first time in his life, Janus felt at peace. Then the ceiling came down, and Janus knew nothing but darkness.

* * *

Patton felt like there was a hole in his chest as he stared at where Janus had been standing only moments before. He heard the heart-wrenching scream from Virgil, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Remus grab onto Virgil, holding him back from rushing back into the building. But Patton just felt numb. 

He took a shuddering breath and looked over to Virgil and Remus. Virgil had stopped fighting against Remus’s hold and instead sobbed into his arms. Remus was crying too, holding Virgil tight against his chest and running a hand through the young rogue’s hair. Patton looked over to see Roman, Remy, and Emile in a similar state, holding each other and crying. Patton’s mouth fixed into a firm, determined frown, and he turned and stalked towards the building.

“Patton, stop!” Logan demanded, running to stand in front of Patton.

“Get out of my way, Logan,” Patton all but growled. He could have easily pushed Logan aside- but Logan’s watery eyes sent guilt curling in Patton’s stomach.

“You’ll be crushed!” Logan cried.

“I can take it. Janus can’t,” Patton replied, trying his best not to cry.

“You don’t know that!” Logan pleaded.

“I can’t lose them again!” Patton blurted, letting the tears stream down his face.

“Pat-”

“I let him walk away from me once already because I was too selfish. He thinks his family will be fine without him, that he’s the odd one out- but  _ I _ am, Logan. You have Virgil, and Missy and Pascal became like older siblings to Emile. But me? All I have is fifteen years of hurt between Janus and me. I don’t have a place in this family, but Janus  _ does _ ,” Patton fumed. The group fell silent for a few seconds that felt like hours.

“Maybe Janus wanted to give you a chance to. Be part of this family, I mean,” Virgil said, breaking away from Remus and walking over to Patton. Patton looked down at Virgil, hardly believing that this vulnerable-looking kid was the same Shadowling that Patton thought about  _ killing _ for hurting Logan.

“I- what?” Patton asked.

“Janus clearly felt like they had lived a full life with us. And maybe he wanted you to have a chance to live free from the Academy. I mean, that’s all he’s ever wanted in general- people being able to be free from the Academy’s control. I still remember the nightmare I saw when Janus and Remus rescued me. He was terrified of people getting hurt and killed by the Academy. In their mind… I guess this is the only way to quell that fear,” Virgil explained. Patton gave Virgil a weak, watery smile.

“I’ll admit, I have wondered if you would have been like a son to me too if I had ran away with Janus all those years ago,” Patton said wetly.

“No harm in trying,” Virgil said, holding out his arms to Patton. Gingerly, hesitantly- Patton hugged Virgil. He was terrified of hurting him, of making things worse. But Virgil just hugged him tight, and Patton finally let the sobs break free from his chest. Patton saw the building collapse, and sobbed harder, burying his nose in Virgil’s hair.

They had only been holding each other and crying for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity of sorrow. That is, until Patton noticed the familiar shimmering of sparks in the air. He gasped and let go of Virgil, who turned around in confusion until he followed Patton’s gaze, letting out a sound that was half laugh, half sob. Janus shimmered into existence, standing on wobbly feet for a moment- before his legs gave out and he collapsed. Luckily, Patton rushed over and caught them just in time.

“Janus!” he gasped, still crying but for an entirely different reason. He eased him down to the ground, or rather his lap, seeing as Janus didn’t seem too keen on letting go. Virgil rushed to Janus’s other side, wiping at his cheeks.

“Don’t do that  _ ever  _ again,” Virgil reprimanded, although he was grinning widely.

“Which one of us is the parent here?” Janus huffed.

“Don’t do reckless bullshit and I won’t scold you!” Virgil shot back with a laugh. Janus began laughing too, but cut himself off with a wince.

“Hey, take it easy, you’re gonna be okay,” Patton soothed, feeling like he could jump for joy with Janus alive and in his arms.

“Agent Dice is dead. The Academy is free from his influence now,” Janus said, clearly deflecting from Patton’s statement. Patton frowned.

“Janus, what aren’t you telling me?” Patton asked lowly. Janus refused to meet his gaze for a moment or two, but when he glanced over to see that Virgil was giving him the same look of disappointment and concern, they gave in with a sigh.

“I can’t feel my legs,” he confessed quietly. Patton’s eyes went wide, and he exchanged nervous glances with Virgil.

“I’ll help! I’ll help!” a voice cried, and Patton looked over to see Emile bounding over to them, closely followed by the rest of the ragtag group of rogues and agents.

“No- kid, you don’t need to strain yourself,” Janus protested, but Emile had already settled at Virgil’s side and fixed Janus with a vicious, determined glare.

“You are  _ familia _ ,” Emile said fiercely. That shut Janus up rather quickly, and he conceded to Emile healing him with a nod.

“Who knew a kiddo calling you his family was all it would take for a rogue like you to comply,” Patton teased, eyes bright with mirth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Janus shot back, but the look in his mismatched eyes was just as warm as Patton’s. Patton let out an exasperated but fond sigh.

“Save your strength. You’re safe now, and your-  _ our _ family’s got you.” 


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter tws:  
> -anxious thoughts  
> -injury mention (specifically a character needing to use a cane because of an old injury)  
> -crying  
> -cuddling  
> -kissing  
> -swearing  
> -character dealing with trauma  
> -teasing/banter  
> -hugging  
> -implied/referenced nsfw

In the months since the Fall of the Academy, as folks were calling it, Patton had rather silently flitted about as part of the family of rogues. Sure, he had a place in the new home all ten of them had together (they had actually commandeered a floor of the old office building that Janus, Remus, and Virgil had as their hideout as their home, and had fixed it up so that it actually felt like more of a home), but Patton still always felt like he was on the outside, rather than being included. But that was okay! He had been hunting most of them for quite some time, it was understandable that they wouldn’t automatically warm up to him. And sure, they did act kind and considerate towards him, but there was no doubting the tenseness in Virgil’s shoulders whenever they spoke, or the way the lights would sometimes flicker when Patton brushed past Remus in the hall. The only ones who didn’t seem afraid of him were his old task force, Emile, and Janus. 

But even then, Janus did seem… wary of Patton. Or something. Patton couldn’t always parse out what they were thinking. Sometimes Janus would look at him fondly, and Patton would want nothing more than to swoop down and kiss him- but other times Janus would look at him with an almost haunted look in his eyes. He just couldn’t figure out how Janus felt about him. There were definitely some close moments between them, but there were moments that felt frigid as well.

Patton let out a sigh, and with a jolt he realized his pacing in the hallway had led to Janus’s door. He glanced down the hall with its newly painted walls (they were just white currently, but Patton had heard Roman and Remus excitedly talking about painting a mural), then glanced back to Janus’s door. He raised his hand up to knock- but hesitated. He wanted to talk to Janus about what they really were to each other, but part of him wanted to just forget it and silently repress his feelings.

“Is someone there? I can hear you shifting outside my door,” Janus’s voice came. Patton let out a sheepish laugh, and opened the door. Janus was sitting on his bed, idly staring at the cane propped up next to him. After their encounter with Agent Dice… Emile’s healing powers could only do so much. His legs were healed and he could walk again, but doing so could be difficult and straining on Janus, even with his cane.

“I, um… just wanted to check in and see how you were doing,” Patton said lamely. Janus looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

“You have been and always will be a terrible liar, Patton,” they said with a fond sigh. Patton smiled sheepishly, one hand going up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Can we talk? There’s been something on my mind lately,” Patton asked softly. Janus’s brow furrowed with concern, but nodded and patted the empty space on the bed next to him.

“So. What’s on your mind?” Janus asked.

“What are we, Janus?” Patton blurted, deciding it would be better to just get it out bluntly rather than dancing around the subject. Janus raised an eyebrow.

“Supers,” they said slowly, sounding a bit condescending as well. Patton huffed out an irritated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he muttered.

“Oh? Then what  _ did _ you mean, Patton?” Janus scowled. Patton let out an irritated sound, hands gesturing uselessly for a moment or two.

“This is  _ exactly _ what I’m talking about. Sometimes we’re at each other’s throats, sometimes we’re friends, and sometimes… sometimes it feels like we’re more,” Patton confessed, voice going from a frustrated yell to a soft and timid whisper. Janus steadfastly avoided Patton’s gaze for a few moments, staring guiltily at the ground.

“You have no idea how badly I wanted to rush back to you after the Fall of the Academy,” Janus said softly, after a few moments of unbearable silence.

“But you… did?” Patton asked, frowning in confusion. Janus  _ had _ come back to him, to all of their family.

“I meant that more… metaphorically. What I meant is that part of me wanted to instantly have things the way they were back then, with you and I,” Janus continued. 

“And what about the other part of you?” Patton asked softly. Janus let out a sigh.

“The other part of me knew that both of us had changed so much, and that things could never be the way they were. So I figured the best thing to do would be to keep a little distance between us,” he replied shakily, and it was then Patton noticed that Janus was doing his hardest not to cry.

“Don’t you think we’ve had enough distance?” Patton pointed out. Janus finally turned to look Patton in the eyes, and Patton’s heart just about broke all over again at Janus’s watery honey gold and deep brown eyes.

“I- Patton…” Janus trailed off, seeming at a loss for words.

“It’s okay if you don’t know what to say. And I know that things could never be the way they were… but what if it could be something even better? Different doesn’t have to be bad, you know,” Patton said with a soft smile. Janus let out a sound that was half laugh and half sob.

“Could- could you… hold me?” they asked timidly. Patton’s smile became a full on grin, and he didn’t hesitate to scoop Janus up into his lap.

“Comfy?” Patton murmured, enjoying the way Janus flushed bright red. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his strength or his voice- but either way Patton swelled with pride at the blush on Janus’s face.

“I wasn’t expecting to sit in your lap, but this works,” Janus squeaked out. Patton let out a warm chuckle, and Janus joined in with a laugh of his own.

“So… us? We don’t have to put a label on it or anything if you don’t want to, but I just wanna be sure we’re on the same page here,” Patton said, unabashedly gazing into Janus’s eyes. Janus gave Patton a watery smile, gazing right back.

“Us sounds nice,” Janus replied softly. Patton’s smile somehow managed to grow brighter, and on impulse he reached out to brush Janus’s bangs back, then bringing his hand down to cup their face.

“Sometimes I look at you and all I can think about is kissing you. We don’t have to now, if you don’t want to- but gosh you’re just so pretty and I’ve missed you so much-” Patton’s rambling was cut off by Janus surging up and pressing his lips to Patton’s. Patton let out a soft, elated gasp, holding Janus even closer against him and kissing back enthusiastically. Janus brought their hands up to cradle Patton’s jaw, managing to shift up onto their knees so that Patton had to tilt his head up to keep kissing them- not that Patton was complaining about that development in the slightest. He kept his arm wrapped firm around his waist to help him stay upright, and Janus just about  _ whined _ at Patton holding him tighter.

“You okay?” Patton asked, barely pulling away from Janus and more or less murmuring into their mouth.

“ _ Fuck _ yes,” he gasped, capturing Patton’s lips in a kiss that was firmer and more passionate than the last one. A warm, contented feeling spread through Patton’s chest, feeling more safe and at home by holding Janus in his arms than he had ever been.

* * *

Logan woke up feeling warm and content. Sunlight was streaming in from the window behind the bed, someone was nuzzled up against him- and then Logan’s blood ran cold. This felt devastatingly familiar, but he couldn’t place why- his memories were still a little frazzled since… since  _ him _ , and something about the scenario felt wrong  _ wrong  _ **_wrong_ ** and Logan couldn’t even place why.

“Hey- Starboy, is something wrong?” a voice murmured, and Logan blinked and looked down to see Virgil peeking his head up from where it had been lying on Logan’s chest. Starboy… he called him Starboy, that was a good sign, right? But just to be sure…

“True or false, you first called me Starboy when I was chasing you,” Logan asked, voice trembling slightly.

“True, and I call you that now because it’s sweet and endearing,” Virgil replied with a smile. Logan nodded, swallowing nervously.

“True or false, we… we are in our… apartment?” Logan tried, even though something didn’t feel right about the statement.

“False, we are in our room in the home we share with the rest of our family… Patton, Janus, Remus, Roman, Remy, Emile, Missy, and Pascal. We transformed a floor of this old office building,” Virgil answered, still giving Logan an encouraging smile. Logan pondered this information, and some of the memories came drifting back.

“True or false, Roman and Remus are going to help us paint stars on the ceiling,” Logan asked, and Virgil's smile became blinding with pride.

“True, just as soon as you figure out what constellations you wanna have,” Virgil said, reaching up to smooth a stray strand of hair behind Logan’s ear.

“I just want them to be accurate,” Logan huffed.

“I wouldn’t want anything less for you, Starboy. Can I ask what triggered it this time? You don’t have to explain why, I just want to make sure you feel safe,” Virgil asked, dark eyes filled with pure love and acceptance.

“It was… the sunlight. Coming through the window,” Logan admitted quietly.

“Then we’ll get some curtains. The sun is rude anyway, it wakes me up too early,” Virgil joked, leaning up to kiss Logan on the cheek. Logan melted at the kiss, although he still felt a little tense.

“I- Virgil, could I trouble you to ask another true or false question?” Logan asked nervously.

“These questions are never a trouble to me, Logan. Your memories being jumbled is not your fault, and I am more than happy to help you feel at ease by helping you remember what’s real,” Virgil said firmly, pitch black eyes glinting with a fierce but caring determination. Logan felt a lump form in his throat, and he felt a rush of adoration for the super beside him.

“True or false, we’re a couple,” Logan asked softly. Virgil beamed.

“True,” he murmured, leaning in to steal a quick kiss.

“True or false, you love me,” Logan asked, gazing up at Virgil lovingly.

“True, absolutely, definitely, completely- I think I’m running out of synonyms for yes,” Virgil rambled, pressing kisses to Logan’s face between words. Logan laughed, shifting to catch Virgil’s lips in a kiss- and Virgil absolutely  _ melted _ against him. Logan could have happily kissed Virgil for hours, all languid movements and soft declarations of love and safety- but then someone knocked on the door, and Virgil broke away with an annoyed grumble.

“Logan! Virgil! Uncle Remus told me to ask if you were decent before I came in, but I dunno what that means cause you guys are both decent people- good people! But I think Uncle Remus might’ve been messing with me…” Emile’s voice came from the other side of the door. Virgil let out an exasperated sigh.

“I think I’m gonna kill Remus one of these days,” Virgil muttered.

“But whatever would we do without his boisterous and often inappropriate humor?” Logan teased. Virgil rolled his eyes and sat up in bed.

“He was joking around buddy, just wanted to make sure you didn’t burst in and wake us up,” Virgil called. The door swung open and Emile happily bounded in, hopping up onto the bed. He clambered over to hug Virgil tightly, and once Logan had sat up, he hugged Logan too.

“My Dad made pancakes! We gotta hurry before Uncle Remus eats them all… but he was probably joking about that too,” Emile exclaimed with a grin.

“Nah, Uncle Remus doesn’t joke around about pancakes,” Virgil replied, climbing out of bed and going to the closet to grab his hoodie- only to stop and flush brightly.

“Virgil?” Logan asked with mild concern. Virgil turned and looked to Logan, noticeably staring at his upper body. And it was then that Logan looked down and realized that he was wearing Virgil’s patchwork hoodie.

“I, uh, sorta forgot that I let you wear it last night,” Virgil stammered.

“Oh! Right, uh- you can have it-”

“No! I mean, you look comfy. You can keep wearing it if you want,” Virgil interrupted, looking rather sheepish.

“You do look cozy!” Emile pointed out. Logan laughed, running a hand through his messy hair.

“I suppose I’ll keep it on then,” Logan replied. Emile grinned, and grabbed Logan’s hand.

“C’mon! Let’s get pancakes- and then Papi can help you with your hair if you want,” Emile said, pulling Logan out of bed.

“Does my hair look that atrocious?” Logan asked with a slight laugh, following Emile out of bed. The child stopped for a moment, squinting up at Logan in confusion.

“What’s atro-shish?” Emile asked.

“Atrocious is another word for horrible or horrifying,” Logan explained with a soft smile. Emile’s expression dawned with understanding.

“Oh! Then yes, your hair is atro-sis!” Emile said with a giggle, tugging Logan towards the door. Logan let Emile pull him down the hall and to the kitchen- which had once been the office’s break room, but Patton, Janus, Remus, Roman, and Remy had been working on converting it into a kitchen. Virgil followed close after them, smiling softly all the way.

“Papi! You need to do Logan’s hair, it’s atro-sus!” Emile cried once they were in the kitchen. Remy was sitting on the counter, bantering with Remus while Roman was at the stove. Missy and Pascal were sitting on the barstools at the counter, whispering animatedly about something.

“Atrocious,” Logan corrected gently. Remy laughed, and hopped down from where he was perched on the counter.

“ Buenos días, you three. Now come here Logan, Emile’s right,” he teased, gesturing to one of the barstools. Logan sighed, and walked over to claim the one next to Missy. Virgil sat on the one next to Logan, and Remus hoisted Emile up to sit on the counter where Remy had been sitting before. Remy stood behind Logan, pulling a brush from seemingly nowhere and beginning to brush out the tangles in Logan’s hair.

“Nice hoodie, Logan,” Remus teased with a wink. Logan and Virgil both blushed, and Missy playfully jabbed Logan in the side with her elbow.

“It’s Virgil’s!” Emile exclaimed. The group broke out into laughter at his statement, and Emile beamed proudly.

“Really? I never would have guessed,” a voice piped up from the doorway. Logan glanced over to see Janus walking in, his arm linked with Patton’s and using him for support along with his cane.

“Oh good, the whole family’s here! Pancakes are ready!” Roman exclaimed, serving plates to Emile and the young adults first, then getting plates ready for the rest of the adults. Patton fussed a little as Janus teleported himself onto a barstool on the other side of the counter, but Janus merely smirked and rolled his eyes.

“A little teleporting won’t kill me, Patton,” they teased. Patton huffed out a sigh, sitting down on a barstool next to Janus’s. 

“You know I’m happy to help you if you need it!” Patton protested, dropping a kiss on Janus’s head. Janus gazed up at Patton fondly, reaching out and taking Patton’s hand.

“Gross, be sappy somewhere else, Dad,” Virgil teased. The kitchen fell silent, and Virgil flushed slightly as he realized what he said.

“Did you just call Janus ‘Dad?’” Remus asked with a wide grin.

“Or did you call  _ Patton _ ‘Dad?’” Roman chimed in as he handed plates to Janus and Patton.

“I didn’t call anyone ‘Dad!’ I said ‘man!’” Virgil spluttered.

“Well I’m not a man, so you must have been talking to Patton,” Janus teased. Patton beamed at Virgil, and Logan chuckled at Virgil’s flustered expression.

“Aww, kiddo! Do you see me as a father figure?” Patton asked excitedly.

“No, I see you as a  _ bother _ figure cause you’re always  _ bothering _ me!” Virgil shot back with a grin.

“Maybe you two should resolve this with a game of catch,” Janus teased.

“I dunno, the throwing part I’m good at, but I’ve never been much of a catcher,” Patton replied with a shrug. Janus nearly choked on their bite of pancake, and while Patton acted innocent, the teasing glint in his eyes towards Janus told another story. Remus scrambled to put his hands over Emile’s ears, and looked to Patton with a mock-scandalizing expression.

“Pat! There are little ears here!” Remus gasped with a grin.

“Oh! My bad,” Patton said, reaching over to cover Janus’s ears. Everyone burst into laughter once more, and Janus batted his hands away with a scowl.

“I  _ get it _ I’m  _ short _ ,” he huffed, although a smile was slowly worming its way onto his face. Patton grinned and dropped another kiss onto their head in apology. And as the family continued eating their pancakes, Logan couldn’t help but feel just about overwhelmed with love and joy in the best way possible. He had his boyfriend beside him, his best friends on the other side, and one of his now uncles braiding his hair. Then there was his cousin (in-law) sitting on the counter and excitedly chattering away to another uncle, then that uncle’s twin playfully bantering with two people who had become like parents to Logan. Never in all his life would he have expected to be surrounded by so much love- and he wouldn’t have had it any other way.


End file.
